Dr. Maria Azizian of Falmouth traveled to Armenia in May on a 10-day philanthropy mission trip, treating 62 patients and performing 26 medical procedures to remove skin lesions and benign growths.
She paid for the trip herself, which cost approximately $10,000, and traveled to Armenia alone.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of being a medical doctor is an ability to make a positive change in peoples’ lives,” said Dr. Azizian, a general surgeon.
“I have always wanted to do philanthropy work. And this trip was my opportunity to give back,” Dr. Azizian said.
Dr. Azizian came to the United States as a teenager in 1990 when her parents sought political asylum from Armenia.
“Armenia was my birthplace, and I wanted my first philanthropy trip to be to Armenia,” Dr. Azizian said.
“In Armenia, connections matter a lot,” she said. “Armenia is one of the oldest countries in the world; some things can take a long time to happen.”
Initially she tried to contact hospitals in Armenia to set up a mission trip but received no response.
“It wasn’t until my uncle, who is a doctor in California, reached out to a former classmate of his that I was able to make a connection and find a hospital that would let me have a room to do procedures in,” she said.
“My uncle’s former classmate is the owner of the Vladimir Avagyan Medical Center in Yerevan and he allowed me to use a room in the hospital,” Dr. Azizian said.
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has a population of over a million people.
Dr. Azizian was asked to submit her diplomas and other credentials verifying that she was a board-certified surgeon before the mission trip was approved.
Another requirement the hospital made before approving the mission was that Dr. Azizian had to purchase and supply all of the equipment to perform the procedures.
“I needed scalpels and forceps. Since these items are forbidden in air travel, I purchased them in advance from an Armenian colleague,” she said. They were available at the hospital when she arrived.
“I was able to purchase the non-sharp equipment, such as gauze, tape and gloves, here and carry them with me on the plane,” Dr. Azizian said.
Dr. Azizian needed to decide on the nature of the procedures she would perform on patients.
“I decided not to remove any suspicious lesions and also not deal with larger excisions, because I would not be in the country to provide a free followup for these patients. I did not feel comfortable leaving them with sutures,” she said.
Prior to the trip Dr. Azizian had several representatives (family and friends) in Armenia who worked on ads in search of potential patients, phone calls and scheduling.
“It was not until I set up a Facebook page called Armenia Cosmetic Beauty Philanthropy Project that my schedule filled quickly,” Dr. Azizian said.
“I asked potential patients to send photos of their lesion via Facebook. I reviewed the photos and either scheduled the patient or politely declined,” she said.
“I was able to practice medicine in Armenia, the way it should be practiced,” she said.
For example, “I was able to keep very simple records of each patient and since there was no insurance involved, the whole process was easier,” Dr. Azizian said.
“I was even able to reconnect with an old friend in-between patients,” she said.
“The best part of the mission was helping the patients. People were so grateful and kind,” she said.
“One of the most touching patients I cared for was an older woman who came a long way from one of the remote villages, with a large skin tag hanging over her upper eyelid. She told me it had been obstructing her vision for more than 10 years. When I was done, she asked for my hand and kissed it and she said, ‘I can see so much better now,’ ” Dr. Azizian said.
She plans to go on another mission trip to Armenia, saying “due to time constraints there were more patients I was not able to accommodate. I hope to return to Armenia again and hopefully bring some of my colleagues with me next time.”
Dr. Azizian lives on Falmouth Woods Road with her husband, Erin Murphy, and their three children. In addition to her practice in Falmouth, she works as an on-call acute care surgeon in Framingham and Natick hospitals.