In 1992, HVO was awarded a grant by USAID for a national rehabilitation training project in Vietnam. This was well before relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized by President Clinton in 1995, and the U.S. trade embargo, imposed…
By Nancy Kelly, MHS Nancy Kelly, MHS served as HVO’s executive director from 1986 to 2023. In 1992, HVO received a grant from USAID for a national rehabilitation training project in Vietnam. This was well before relations between the U.S. and Vietnam…
In Honduras, gastric cancer is often caught late. Without widespread screening, patients frequently don’t seek care until symptoms are advanced. By the time they reach the operating room, the surgical challenge is no longer simple – it requires removing not…
Janet Dewan, PhD, CRNA has been volunteering in Rwanda since 2010 and with HVO’s anesthesia project with the University of Rwanda since 2023. Her decades working in low-resource areas have convinced her of the critical importance of education. “Right away,…
Colleagues from the dermatology department at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Vietnam thank HVO volunteer Dr. Roland Beverly for his time, support, and shared knowledge.
In Vietnam, many of the nurses treating oncology patients have not gone through specialized oncology training – even in hospitals that only care for cancer patients. To address this need, in 2023, Ms. Jodi Hyman was part of a team…
In 2008, children diagnosed with cancer in Cambodia had few options. Hospitals such as Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) lacked the specialized training and resources needed to provide cancer treatment, and many patients were turned away. Recognizing an opportunity to…
Just a few years ago, Bhutan had never had a pediatric nephrologist. Now, the country has Dr. Jimba Jatsho. “Before me,” he said, “when there was no specialist, most children would not have made it. They would have died at…
Dr. Cary Bjork was an extraordinary volunteer and leader in the HVO community for decades. From 1997 until his passing, he dedicated himself to the internal medicine project in Kampala, Uganda, serving as project director from 1998 to 2016. Beyond…
Dr. Kanu Okike, a 2026 recipient of the HVO Golden Apple Award, has been volunteering with the Ghana orthopaedics project at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) since 2016. In that time, he has seen great strides made. “When I started…
By Connie Evashwick, ScD, CAE, CPH and Danielle Stonehirsch HVO aspires to offer its partner organizations and its volunteers more than just one-time clinical teaching. The informal HVO network extends education on culture, geography, history, economics, industry, culinary arts, and…
In May 2025, HVO posted a blog about Dr. Peter Rice’s work bringing ultrasound training to our partner hospital Lumbini Medical College in Tansen, Nepal. Dr. Jane Lockstone, a senior ICU physiotherapist in Tasmania, Australia, who has spent extended time…