The purpose of Wash. U. Global Medical Brigades (GMB) is to increase awareness and knowledge of the lack of proper healthcare and medical services available to rural populations in many third world countries and the resulting devastating impact on life expectancy and quality of life in these locations. We aim to educate and provide insight to Wash. U. undergraduate students regarding these medical and health problems, as well as the complex related public policy issues.  Our goal is to raise the necessary funding, provide appropriate training to students and attract medical and other health professionals so that we can sponsor a medical brigade to provide much needed assistance in a rural location in an underserved third world community. Our organization’s current international focus is on providing much needed medical assistance to poverty-stricken areas of rural South and Central America.