Ikediobi was participating in the AIDS Remembrance Walk organized by the Treatment Center of the Treasure Coast. The walk concluded at a city park, where Ikediobi, who is in her first year of clinical rotations as part of the new Ft. Pierce regional campus, delivered a motivational speech to a crowd of approximately 60 people.

The setting, and the cause, may have been a long way removed from the clinical environment, but the lessons delivered have broad implications. With regional campuses in six cities across Florida, the FSU College of Medicine endeavors to have each of its students become immersed in community medicine during the third and fourth years of study.

“The role of physicians as simply clinicians ought to be broadened to include their role as public health advocates,’’ said Ikediobi, who last year participated in a global health outreach trip to Ghana, Africa. “This [AIDS] epidemic now calls for the marriage of both worlds if we are to effectively eradicate this disease.’’