Organizer: W. Walter Backus, MD
Recent Missions
The Department supports medical missions enthusiastically. In the past these missions went to third world countries; now they go to progressive countries. Health care in these countries appears to depend on the influx of missionaries through their countries, like traveling "HMO's". The majority of the missions have focused on pediatric care, but a need for adult care has surfaced.
The benefits that residents and attendings can get from participating in a medical mission are nicely described in the article "The Role of International Experience in Residency Training" by Medge D. Owen, MD, and Douglas Ririe, MD.
Dr. Peter Glass would like to recruit personnel for 4 to 6 medical missions per year. Dr. Kenneth Rosenfeld must continue to cover UHMC's anesthetizing locations, and the prime vacation weeks create a challenge for him, but he will "see what he can do." Dr. Joy Schabel is responsible for assigning an interested resident for each mission.
The emphasis is generally pediatrics, but now some of the missions have clear adult components. Some of the other countries with potential missions are Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru and China.
View photos and videos from past missions.