Since she was a child Mane Mkrtchyan has wanted to work in medicine. Her parents, both scientists, encouraged her to work in IT but she never wavered from what she believed was her true path.
Today, the 25-year-old Yerevan native is a radiologist based in Armenia’s Ijevan Region who wants to make a difference in rural healthcare.
“I would have never thought I would leave my beloved Yerevan, but FAR completely changed my mind. Now I’m here and I am very happy. This is a new path, a new life,” said Dr. Mkrtchyan, who is currently enrolled in our Clinical Residency Sponsorship Program.
As part of Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Program, the Clinical Residency Sponsorship Program has enabled Dr. Mkrtchyan and four other physicians to further their two-year residency programs and work in their specializations.
“My life completely changed when I learned about FAR and this program. I was in the last year of my master’s degree and was about to do my residency. Then I met my future husband, himself a doctor from Ijevan. We got married, I moved to Ijevan, got my job here, and had my baby. Soon, my husband will be back from Yerevan, meaning that FAR is not only improving the medical gap of the regions, but it has also changed our lives,” she said with a smile.
Dr. Mkrtchyan serves about six patients from nearby communities each day. She also does X-rays and computed tomography. These services were recently established in the community so that locals would not have to travel more than 130 km to find these services in Yerevan.