Over four decades, surgeon Glenn Geelhoed has taken medical volunteers to the poorest parts of the globe to treat patients and train local health care workers. Those who serve find that they also learn – lessons in human resilience that Geelhoed calls gifts from the poor.
After spending Christmas at home in Maryland, I took off on this latest circumnavigation of the globe, arriving at Duk Payuel in South Sudan. Included in the six bags of supplies the team transported is the start of the DOTS Tb program, one of the main priorities I had established on my last visit to the clinic. Almost immediately, the gear was put to use, diagnosing a case of the AFB (acid fast bacilli) strain in a relatively young woman, the first among many clinically suspicious cases.
From visiting communities in the most remote parts of the developing world, to donating or packing medical supplies, anyone can make a difference. Putting your talents to work for the health and wellbeing of others brings lifelong rewards – and benefits volunteers as much as it helps patients. More »
Surgeon and educator Glenn W. Geelhoed has led medical students, residents, physicians and others on scores of health care missions around the world. In fall 2009, Dr. Geelhoed received the American College of Surgeons’ Volunteerism Award for International Outreach. More »
From journals kept daily through countless medical missions, Dr. Geelhoed draws lessons about human resilience, global interdependence and our overwhelming commonalities. In an upcoming book, he describes how "gifts from the poor" can enrich the whole planet. More »