As a kid, I noticed that my cousin Roger walked with a significant limp. He began wearing an elevated shoe to stabilize his gait. This was a result of polio he suffered in the 1950s – a time when the disease was rampant in the United States. Effective vaccines all but eliminated US polio
This child is going blind as a result of scaring to his cornea. Some 250,000 to 500,000 children in low-resource communities throughout Africa and the Indian subcontinent go blind each year from dietary deficiency of vitamin A. Severe deficiency causes irreversible corneal damage, leading to partial or total visual impairment. Startlingly, about half of
The two-year old child in this photo presents to your health center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Family members explain that eight months ago their farm was attacked by bandits. No one in the family, including this child named Aamir, has eaten regularly since then. What’s more, Aamir in recent days has
When Bill Gates or Bill Clinton have an important announcement, whom do they call? CNN, FOX, and MSNBC – of course. But when God announced the birth of our Messiah, he chose the lowest people in society – the equivalent of our landscapers and waste collectors – to receive and disseminate the news. Luke
Why would a young, successful healthcare professional intentionally serve in an inner city core? What would make him or her deliberately seek opportunities to care for the poor? The answers may inspire you! Consider Jeremy Kirchoff. As a family medicine resident he enrolled in the INMED International Medicine Certificate, studying at the Baptist Medical
Contemplate for a moment the impact of war upon health… During World War I, roughly 5 percent of causalities were among civilians. In World War II, this figure rose to 50 percent. In the wars since 1980, fully 80 percent of deaths have been inflicted upon CIVILIANS. The British Medical Journal reported in 2002:
Over the last four days Nicholas Comninellis been representing INMED at the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Distinct from the INMED Exploring Medical Missions Conference, this event emphasizes more the spiritual dimension of caring for the poor. The encouragement we received through this event was just overwhelming. Former INMED students came by
The scope and frequency of disaster events being reported are increasing every year. Even this week Indonesia is suffering from the devastation of a tsunami and a volcanic eruption, both within a 24-hour period. Thousands are presumed dead and many more displaced. Travel halfway around the world to Haiti, a chronically impoverished country,
This week I represented INMED at the Kansas City Mayor’s United Nations Association Banquet, where we honored Gary White of Water.org. Gary is passionate about changing the distressing image above that illustrates how pervasive remains the shortage of safe drinking water in the world’s poorest communities. In Angola just 4 months ago I cared
This week reports out of Haiti describe the spreading of cholera epidemic. A prototypical disease of poverty, cholera is the end result of extreme lapses in sanitation and water protection. Cholera is an infection virtually unknown under any other circumstances. Nine months have passed since Haiti’s earthquake. On one hand it’s reassuring that cholera