Dalton State alum Lisa Hoty is taking her medical technology skills to the field – to a place where modern technology meets third world challenges.

The 23-year-old, who gained her first on-the-job experience working in the comprehensive medical lab at Gordon County Hospital, left the states in June for Western Africa to become the first medical technologist to serve the women’s clinic in Freetown Sierra Leone.

“The Aberdeen Clinic is a surgical clinic that specializes in treating specific problems relating to childbirth,” she said, noting that a mission of the clinic is to help heal both the physical and emotional wounds of the patients.

“I am going to set up the medical lab and run it for up to six months,” she said, noting that the lab is currently being run by “locals,” and her job will be to help purchase supplies, organize equipment efficiently, and train someone to take her place when she leaves.

Lisa accepted this position through the Mercy Ships organization and will be performing her services as a volunteer – she will even be paying her room, board, plane ticket and living expenses while there.

“One of my goals has been to be involved in a short-term missions opportunity, and this is it,” she said. “My next goal when I return to the states will be to earn a master’s degree in a related field, like Genetics or Forensics.”

While at Dalton State, Lisa took classes as a Medical Technology major and benefited from the “one-to-one interaction from faculty that I received there,” particularly from biology and psychology professors James Adams, Celeste Humphrey, and Michael Hoff.

“Because Dalton State is a small school, some people think that the educational value is lessoned,” she recalled. “That simply is not true. My classes were challenging and informative, and my instructors taught me all the material I needed to further my education and career.”