The good Cornellians can do: Geraldine Ortega ’15

In 2022, a group of medical students at St. George’s University founded a non-profit based in Eldoret, Kenya. The goal of the Tirop Foundation is to match international medical graduates with local physicians, who work together to provide health care to underserved communities in Kenya.

Dr. Geraldine Ortega ’15 was part of the first cohort of students to volunteer at St. Luke’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Eldoret, assisting with surgeries, trauma care, pediatrics, and family medicine. As a first-gen doctor from Puerto Rico, Geraldine felt called to serve.

“Having grown up in an underserved community myself, I understand firsthand how social, financial, and language barriers can prevent people from accessing quality healthcare,” she says.

She has since assumed the role of administrative director of the foundation, where she works to expand the reach and impact of their work. This includes fundraising, coordinating volunteers, collaborating with local physicians and hospitals, and providing hands-on help to local families—including books, sports gear, feminine hygiene products, toys, and food.

“What resonates most with me is knowing that some of these patients might not have access to this level of care without our team’s involvement,” Geraldine says. “This is why I chose medicine in the first place: to use my training to improve the lives of those who might otherwise be overlooked.”

The Tirop Foundation received an Achievers Award in 2024, in recognition of their service to vulnerable populations.

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