September 8, 2004

IU Physician Has Republic of Georgia on Her Mind

INDIANAPOLIS — A second-year resident in the Indiana University Family Practice Residency will journey to the Republic of Georgia to participate in an international medical relief effort.

Anna Sagoyan, M.D., is making the trip by way of winning the nationally competitive American Academy of Family Physicians scholarship. She was the only recipient of the award, which drew applicants from family practices around the United States.

While in Georgia from Oct. 27 to Nov. 6, she will be part of an international team that meets with local physicians to discuss health care needs and to provide medical care to children in several orphanages.

Dr. Sagoyan is a native of Armenia, which borders Georgia to the south, and earned her medical degree in that country at the Yerevan State Medical University. She and her family left Armenia for the United States in early 1990s when civil war broke out in her homeland.

"Georgia and Armenia are close culturally and even though both have different languages most of the people in both countries speak Russian," says Dr. Sagoyan. "I believe my Russian language skills and background will help the mission trip and help cut through cultural barriers."

The Republic of Georgia, which has a population of more than 5.3 million, was forcibly incorporated into the former Soviet Union in the 1920s, but gained its freedom 70 years later when the union dissolved.

Closer to home in Indianapolis, after completing her residency, Dr. Sagoyan plans to work in a multi-specialty group, providing care for the growing Russian-Armenian community. Her clinical specialty is preventive medicine and she focuses on endocrinology in her research.

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