“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
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
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,
I am privileged to enjoy a circle of illustrative individuals; people who are both inspiring and generous. Pictured here is some of their further influence: a sample of the 250 students who received scholarships to participate in the 10th annual, 2015 INMED Exploring Medical Missions Conference. Who are these mysterious individuals? They number over
You and I and most of our international neighbors share a common passion: increase people’s healthy years of life. But so very many factors are involved: cultural differences, low resources, economic interests, political disagreement, armed conflicts, profiteering… All this weighed heavily upon me as I labored to identify a simple but effective model for
Today, Christmas Eve Day, I’m writing to INMED’s graduates: the 434 individuals who have earned the INMED Diploma in International Public Health (DIPH) and Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health (DIM&PH). They have achieved these academic credentials through both rigorous didactic study and on-site service experience in a very-low income community. But more
American is home to some 800,000 practicing physicians. While generally more educated than the national average, these physicians increasing reflect America as a whole in terms of ethnicity and values. So why is “Be the doctor your parents always wanted you to marry” an important reminder? Simply because physicians can make poor personal decisions