Albert Schweitzer is one of international health’s most fascinating personalities. Born in on the border between France and Germany in 1875, by age 30 Schweitzer distinguished himself with advanced accomplishments in theology, philosophy and music. Most notably, Schweitzer transposed Bach’s renowned compositions from orchestra to organ, and traveled throughout Europe with the Paris Bach […]
The earth would occasionally rumble under my feet as a child living with my grandmother in Greece. We ran outside of her brick home; fearful it would collapse and kill us. One month ago, just 400 miles away in Turkey and Syria, earthquakes did indeed collapse thousands of homes, instantly killing 50,000 people –
Last week, Jimmy Carter – 39th US President 1977-1981 – entered hospice care at age 98. Post-presidency, Carter focused his energies on distinguished humanitarian pursuits: launching Habitat for Humanity, negotiating cessation of international conflicts, instructing biblical truths, and leading the march to eradicate a human infection. Dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm infection, is a parasitic disease
“Over the last year and one-half I have set foot in four continents, been a part of five conferences, lost a few team mates, welcomed others, and spoken languages I haven’t used in years. Captured below is a summary of the last few months in pictures. May you be blessed to see what the Lord
What great advances in international health have resulted from research? Measles vaccine, HIV drugs, malaria bed nets, tobacco controls, basic newborn resuscitation, to name a few. But profound international health challenges remain that can only be vanquished through continued scientific investigation. Some of these challenges include the quests for more effective tuberculosis vaccines, successful
This provocative question evokes sentiments of national pride, social justice, and personal experiences. It’s also a pivotal question, influencing the design and resources for healthcare. A compelling follow up to “Who has the very best healthcare?” is to clarify, “By what criteria shall we judge quality of healthcare?” Consider the following benchmarks: Cost. Health
Maria, the seven-year-old girl in this photo, presents to you at the Clinical Evangelica Morava on the remote western coast of Honduras. Her parents explain that five days ago she suddenly developed fever, vomiting, severe headache, and pain on moving her eyes. Several other children in the neighborhood have been similarly ill since the
At Christmas time we focus most on the details of Jesus Christ’s birth: the prophecies, star, virgin mother, impoverished setting, jubilant angels, and frightened shepherds. These indeed are intriguing and worthy of celebration. But let’s look deeper beyond the details of how Jesus came and inquire why Jesus came. Jesus’ contemporaries largely hoped and
What is the most dangerous day in a person’s entire life? Perhaps the one when a teenager receives his or her driver’s license, the first big college party event, rock climbing or back woods vacation? Worldwide data actually demonstrate that the highest risk of death – life’s most dangerous day – is the first
Malnutrition especially impacts pregnant women around the globe. The challenges of food security, poverty, anemia, malnutrition, low birth weight, and failure to thrive are all inextricably interwoven. Worldwide, the effect of protein-calorie malnutrition is correlated with low-birth-weight infants, maternal anemia, preterm labor, immune suppression, and loss of work productivity. Maternal causes of newborn low