When PCOM Georgia medical student Brooke Demetri (DO '27) was presented with the opportunity to join a medical relief trip to Cambodia, she knew she couldn’t turn it down.
As the daughter of a Khmer Rouge genocide survivor and the great niece of a heroic physician turned Academy Award-winning actor, Brooke has always had a connection to both Cambodia and the study of medicine, and knew this trip would have a lasting impact on her career as a medical provider.
Brooke’s great uncle, Dr. Haing S. Ngor, was a gynecologist and obstetrician during the 1975 Khmer Rouge regime, who later won an Academy Award for his role portraying journalist Dith Pran in the biographical drama film, The Killing Fields.
This summer, Brooke joined with fellow students in providing medical services to over 500 patients in Cambodia. The experience allowed Brooke to not only honor her family's legacy and meet some of her relatives for the first time, but also continue her great uncle’s work of providing critical care to those in underserved communities.
You can read more about Brooke Demetri’s recent journey to Cambodia in the Gwinnett Daily Post.
PCOM Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
For general media inquiries, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 215-871-6300 or communications@pcom.edu. Visit our media relations page to view contact information for public relations personnel.
© 2025 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
