One last road trip before graduation? Not exactly. Class of 2007 members Courtney Nall and Mason Shamis weren't looking for a self-indulgent getaway prior to the start of residency training. Rather, they joined Dr. Ken Brummel-Smith, professor and chair in the department of geriatrics, for a cross-country bike ride to raise awareness (and money) for global health issues. The ride started in San Diego when the trio dipped their wheels in the Pacific Ocean and will conclude at the Atlantic shore following a stop in Washington, D.C.

Nall, Shamis and Brummel-Smith are part of a 22-rider contingent in the Ride for World Health, a 3,600-mile journey that began April 1 and is scheduled to conclude May 22. That’s four days before Nall and Shamis are scheduled to march in College of Medicine graduation ceremonies with 46 other classmates in Tallahassee.

Along the route, which crossed the continental divide and included stops in Las Vegas, Denver and Cincinnati, the riders are giving educational presentations on local and global health issues – raising awareness on everything from AIDS prevention to the plight of uninsured Americans and its affect on health care.

For more details about the ride, the topics or simply to get an idea where the College of Medicine riders are at the moment, go to http://rideforworldhealth.org/. There’s also an opportunity to make donations to the cause, and there are humorous and insightful blogs posted by each of the riders.

Already, the riders have pedaled through snowstorms, rainstorms and desert heat exceeding 100 degrees and, as of April 28, had raised $89,000. The blogs offer more details, but here's an excerpt from Brummel-Smith following a day in which the group crossed from Colorado into Kansas: "At one point I looked to the south and all I could see was a sea of green grass. I looked to the north and all I saw was a sea of brown grass. I imagined the Indians racing their horses across the plains, hunting giant buffalo. I could see wagon trains of settlers, looking at the far distance of 10 or 15 miles, knowing it would take them all day to reach that point. But I, on my bike, was racing along sometimes at 26 mph, flying before the occasional tailwind.

"... The biggest and most wind-producing are the cattle trucks. When one comes from behind, you can stand up and pedal, making your self a big sail. The wind would hit just before the truck flew by at 60+ mph and your speed would shoot up by 2-3 mph for a bit. If it was coming towards you from the other direction you'd have to crouch as low as can be and lean into the direction of the oncoming truck, as the wind would slap you around and drop your speed.''