[3] In December 2004, medical students Ravi Menghani, Grant Lee, Willie Siu, and undergraduate Daniel Choi travelled to Nicaragua, under the guidance of UCLA Pediatric Neurosurgeon Dr. Jorge Lazareff[4] to investigate the high incidence of spina bifida in the region and barriers to healthcare.

[3] The initial team visited El Hospital Antonio Lenin Fonseca and observed a significant lack of medical tools, technology, and supplies.

The team also donated medical supplies, which were provided by Stryker Corporation and UCLA Renew, to the Antonio Lenin Fonseca Hospital in Managua, Nicaragua, where they launched an epidemiology research project, which allowed them to survey 115 patients in the Emergency Room.

Project Nicaragua at OSU is involved in the medical aspects of Nicaraguan healthcare and addresses social and economic factors that can affect health.

From September 2010 to December 2010, they have aided in raising funds for Escuela Tierra Prometidas, an agricultural and technical school, the building of which was completed in the spring of 2011.

Additionally, the Ohio State chapter was able to donate laptops for the purpose of teaching students English and programs like Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel.

For their inaugural trip in May 2013, the Vanderbilt chapter donated over 1,000 pairs of used eyeglasses collected over the year to CENAO along with hundreds of dental and medical supplies to La Mascota.

The Vanderbilt chapter hopes to expand their efforts in both Managua and Leon through their annual trips to Nicaragua as well through fundraising, collecting supplies, and tutoring throughout the year.

Project Nicaragua was founded primarily at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) after the initial trip in December 2004 by the following individuals: Dr. Jorge Lazareff, Dr. Ravi Menghani, Dr. Grant Lee, Dr. Daniel Choi, Dr. Willie Siu, and Dr. Stanley Park.

In June 2009, under the guidance of Senior Directors, Iman Zahedi and Samuel Choi, the UCLA chapter established important relationships with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health, PATH, ASNIC, and UNAN Managua.

Along with the preliminary data from the first mission, research into the causes of spina bifida and the native diet led our team to believe that fortification of rice with folic acid is the most feasible path for decreasing the incidence of neural tube defects in Nicaragua.