From the highest point in Duhok – northern Iraq’s and Kurdistan’s largest city – I am viewing the city of Mosul just 40 miles to the south. Mosul fell to ISIS 21 months ago, and the status of Mosul citizens is illustrated by the vast tent cities which lie between Mosul and Duhok. Tens of […]
This award recognizes individuals and organizations who that provide exemplary disaster response services for highly vulnerable communities. In doing so, they accentuate the value of life and provide an exemplary model for us all. The Institute for International Medicine is excited to recognize Richard Randolph via the 2016 INMED Humanitarian Crisis Response Award. Dr.
“We lived our entire lives in Mosul – the ancient city of Nineveh – Jews, Christians, Muslims all side by side in peace. Then entered ISIS, threatening us with death or conversion.” The woman began swelling up with tears. “We were forced to flee, leaving all our belongings behind – animals, cars, clothes, books
“Sure, we Greeks have economic problems,” my cousin’s voice turns emphatic, “but these people, they have nothing at all.” Visiting my family in Athens this week, I’m touched by the personal expressions of compassion. “Some of the refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria are housed in Piareas – the Athens port. My friends
Public persona and private personality are often dissimilar, and what you read and see of INMED may or may not reflect reality. Permit me to lay open an element of INMED’s inner culture: We value people. We regard all individuals as created and loved by God, and in this light we respect their dignity,
Did you ever hear of Zika prior to this year? Doubtful. Yet this virus has been tracked since the 1950s. It causes a mild acute illness, and when pregnant women become infected it may be connected with serious congenital disorders. Zika has similarities with malaria: Both are infections transmitted via mosquito. Both occur in
This week we witnessed the Iowa Caucuses. Next week come the New Hampshire Primaries. Each display some of our nation’s most popular, influential people. But there exists power of a vastly different character and magnitude. The book of Matthew records Jesus’ reference to such power: “Jesus called his disciples together and said, ‘You know
Since 2004 INMED has been providing supervised, formative experiences for healthcare personnel to serve in the world’s poorest communities via locations in twenty-five developing nations, as well as the United States. Accompanying this service-learning are robust courses covering the principles of international medicine and public health. Until now, these courses were offered only at
I met Melissa Friesen in 2011 when she participated in the INMED International Medicine & Public Health Intensive Course in Kansas City. Like most INMED students, I found Melissa to be a person highly motivated to serve the world’s most undervalued people. Just six months later Melissa, a nurse practitioner from Xenia, Ohio, said
As a new doctor I schemed to volunteer in the world’s most poorest nation: Burkina Faso. Working at a SIM clinic in the village of Piéla, I overheard the MAF pilot mention making a flight to Djibo – a desert outpost in the north. There I met Ken and Joyce Elliot, an Australian couple,