Ethiopia? East Saint Louis? El Salvador? Compassionate healthcare persons are prone to bold moves on behalf of marginalized people wherever they are located. This movement is accentuated by professionals who inspire us all toward similar service. The winners of the 2013 INMED International Medicine Awards, just announced at the Exploring Medical Missions Conference, are exemplary models. Consider just three of them:
The 2013 INMED International Medicine Award Recipient is Cathy Hoelzer, MPH, a physician assistant who started overseas medical work in 1991 when she volunteered in the Kurdish refugee camps. She has since worked in Afghanistan, Chad, Sudan, Tanzania and the Philippines. Cathy and her husband currently serve in the newly formed Republic of South Sudan bringing health care and the hope in the midst of that tumultuous nation’s largest refugee settlement.
The 2013 INMED National Healthcare Service Award Recipient is Winston Manimtim, a physician graduate of both the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines and the INMED International Medicine & Public Health Diploma. Today he is a neonatologist actively teaching the American Academy of Pediatrics Helping Babies Breathe Program both in the United States and in his native Philippines. This innovative skill set equips birth attendants to resuscitate newborn babies in low-resource settings. Hence, Dr. Manimtim is ultimately providing lifesaving skills for thousands of infants worldwide.
The 2013 INMED Award for Compassionate Service to Humanity recipients are Tim and Lori Myrick. Lori is a labor and delivery nurse and Tim a family physician. Together they left Kansas City in 1992, first serving in the Comoros Islands near Madagascar, later in Tunisia and Jordan, and most recently in Kenya where they focused on the needs of Somali refugees. Lori and Tim model the reality and vitality of marriage, family, and careers on the move.
What’s your road less traveled? Whether you are still in school, mid-career, or contemplating “retirement,” you can indeed make a bold move on behalf of the world’s sidelined citizens. Role models like these demonstrate the possibilities. INMED denotes the preparatory steps like the INMED International Medicine & Public Health Hybrid Course and/or a supervised Service-Learning Opportunity in the field. These can be first steps towards your own praiseworthy journey ventured by few.