Doctor Turns Global Health Service Into Military College Curriculum

“These experiences change lives — for patients, students, and me. In a chaotic world, this is something good. We’re not pushing an agenda, just serving humanity.”  

When Dr. Sarah Imam arrived in Kenya in the summer of 2021, she wasn’t sure what to expect. 

The clinic she was told about turned out to be a small church — its pews replaced with folding tables, its altar cleared to make space for patients. Outside, a line stretched with patients who had come from miles away. Some hadn't seen a physician in years.

“It was humbling,” Dr. Imam recalls. “People applauded when we arrived. No doctors had been serving that area.”

Over three weeks Dr. Imam saw hundreds of patients, many with chronic illnesses like hypertension and diabetes. "That experience inspired me," she said. "I realized it could benefit both the community and my students.”

And benefit, they did. The trip was the foundation for The Citadel Medical Camp, a program that now brings healthcare and hope to thousands across Kenya each year.

A career rooted in service

Dr. Imam’s path to service began long before her first trip to Kenya. She grew up in London, where she trained in a variety of focus areas. “In England, we don't go straight into residency after you graduate,” she explained. “We do what is called a house job, so I'm trained in internal medicine and general surgery. Everyone has to do that before they go on to a specialization.”

Coming from a universal healthcare system — The UK's National Health Service (NHS) — she built her belief that medicine should serve everyone, everywhere.

That conviction followed her to the United States after she married and settled in South Carolina, where an unexpected turn led her toward academia.

“For a multitude of personal reasons, I transitioned into education, thinking I would only be there temporarily,” she said. But teaching and advising, she discovered, gave her a new sense of purpose. “I fell in love with education. I felt I had my calling.”

Today, Dr. Imam serves as Director of Health Sciences at The Citadel, where she teaches pre-health students and prepares them for medical and graduate programs. Her students — disciplined, dedicated, and driven by the military college’s ethos — inspired her to think bigger about what education could be.

A crisis sparked a calling

Dr. Imam felt pulled to do something meaningful as COVID-19 upended lives and healthcare systems in 2020. Hospitals everywhere were running out of protective equipment, and — though she had no experience with 3D printing — she formed a small team at The Citadel to produce reusable masks for their local hospital. Her group made about 1,000 and helped other teams around the country start similar efforts, which together produced roughly 20,000 masks for healthcare workers in need.

But when the work ended, she found herself searching again for a way to continue helping. “I wanted to keep doing something meaningful.”

She began researching where in the world the pandemic had hit hardest, and where medical infrastructure was still most strained. Her search led her to Kenya.

The beginning of something bigger

At the time, the country was facing a dual crisis. Vaccines were scarce, and many communities were struggling not only with COVID-19, but with the everyday realities of limited healthcare access — untreated chronic illnesses, a lack of medications, and economic hardship that left families choosing between food and medical care.

Dr. Imam connected with a nonprofit in Kenya, and they began planning a community clinic — the one that would become the makeshift setup in a church. The goal was simple: to provide care where there was none. She purchased basic supplies, gathered volunteers, and brought her daughter along to help.

But little did she know, that simple goal would turn into a life-changing program for years to come.

Turning an idea into action

When she returned to South Carolina, she couldn’t stop thinking about the patients she’d met, and the clear need to keep helping them. 

She began building a program that would combine hands-on service with education, giving her students the chance to learn medicine in its most human form.

In 2022, with the help of a school grant and generous donors, The Citadel Medical Camp officially launched, combining study abroad coursework with hands-on clinical experience.

What started as one doctor’s initiative has evolved into a large-scale operation staffed by Citadel students, local clinicians, and Kenyan volunteers. Over the past four years the camp has grown rapidly, now caring for thousands of patients each year while giving dozens of pre-health students a transformative global health experience.

Teaching through service

The medical camp gives students an experience that can’t be taught in a classroom. 

“My goal is for everyone to leave as better humans,” she said. “They gain perspective, leadership, and empathy.”

Under Dr. Imam’s guidance, Citadel students take patient histories, assist with exams, and help manage everything from pharmacy operations to triage. They experience firsthand the realities of delivering care in resource-limited settings and the emotional resilience that comes with it.

For many, it’s transformative. Students return home with a new sense of purpose and understanding of what it means to serve. “It’s helping my students — our admissions to health professions programs have quadrupled — and it’s helping local communities.”

What makes the camp special isn’t just the care provided. It’s the connection built along the way. “We can’t cure everyone,” Dr. Imam said. “I’ve had sleepless nights over it. But I try to focus on what we can do. We give hope, and that keeps me going.”

That hope shows up in the smallest gestures — a smile after an exam, a patient returning the next day just to say thank you. Her students often chip in to buy supplies out of pocket for patients in need. "Everything we purchase is sourced locally to support their economy. Even employing people from the community gives them purpose and dignity."

Listening makes the connection

Amid the noise and commotion of each clinic, the stethoscope is often the first connection between patient and provider. For Dr. Imam, being able to truly listen is essential, especially in an environment where precision matters and resources are scarce.

“I used donation funds to buy my first Eko stethoscope that first year,” she said.

“I’m not a cardiologist, but I wanted a better way to assess patients in the field. I loved it — the clarity, the ability to visualize sounds on my phone, and to show patients. I didn’t have an ECG machine that year, so it was a game changer.”

Beyond serving as a connection point to patients, Eko soon became a powerful teaching tool. 

“Students can listen, see the ECG, and understand what’s happening in real time,” she said. “They learn faster, retain more, and feel more confident.”

A legacy of care

Now in its fourth year, The Citadel Medical Camp continues to grow in scale and spirit. In 2025, Dr. Imam and her team cared for nearly 14,000 patients — each one a reminder of why this mission matters.

“These experiences change lives — for patients, students, and me,” she said. “In a chaotic world, this is something good. We’re not pushing an agenda, just serving humanity.”

For Dr. Imam, that’s what medicine has always been about — listening, healing, and finding purpose through service.

Eko is proud to support Dr. Sarah Imam and The Citadel Medical Camp in bringing care, connection, and clarity to the patients who need it most with donations through our Eko Cares program.