Newport high school graduate Laila Zomorodian has set out to use her classroom education to make an impact half way around the world.

With a double major from the University of Southern California and admittance into the School of Medicine at the University of Washington, Zomorodian is taking a one year deferral and trading in the classroom for the hospital rooms and rural villages of Tanzania Africa.

During her nine month stay in Tanzania, Zomorodian will conduct extensive research on the prevalence of Obstetric Fistula in East Africa and the impact it has on the women afflicted with the condition. Obstetric Fistula is a severe medical condition in which a hole develops between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care is not available. Women who develop the condition in East Africa are often blamed for the condition and are sometimes punished, divorced by their husbands, and ostracized by their community.

“What happens to these women is awful and destroys their livelihoods, all because of a condition that isn’t their fault,” said Zomorodian, who first learned about Obstetric Fistula during her junior year of high school when reading a New York Times article. “I immediately knew I wanted to dedicate my life to helping these women.”

She began educating herself about Obstetric Fistula and earned her Girl Scout Gold Award based on the project she developed to raise awareness about the condition. During her senior year at Newport, Zomorodian designed a lesson plan to teach fellow students about Obstetric Fistula and participated in a Health Fair at Factoria Mall to raise awareness.

She continued to get involved with non-profits working to raise funds for repair surgeries and education in Africa. She traveled to Tanzinia last summer, volunteering in the Fistula Ward, and will return to the Monduli District Hospital again next month for a nine-month research trip.

“My goal is to make a connection with some of these women during my stay and design and implement a community solution plan,” Zomorodian said. “The women who are seeking medical care will hopefully be more willing to open up and share their story.”

While in Tanzania, Zomorodian will test her hypothesis for the causes of Obstetric Fistula and will document its prevalence in the surrounding villages.

“I am excited to take this journey. I have a very calm feeling about returning to something that is familiar to me, but nervous that I am a one person team running this study,” she said. “It will be a huge challenge, but one that I am passionate about and eager to take on.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.