These are stories directly from our volunteers and members.
Pediatric cardiologist Mark Duster, MD believes international health volunteers “offer a vision of the possible” to their colleagues in resource-scarce countries by providing a glimpse into how increased health workforce capacity and health system strengthening may impact patient care over…
"My international volunteer experiences have been life changing and have caused me to recognize that our physical therapy profession has a major contribution to make in furthering global health." - Dr. Janna Beling
Dr. George Meyer gained his first experience practicing medicine internationally as a member of the U.S. Air Force. He served in Thailand, Japan, and Germany. Through these experiences, he and his wife, Lynn Meyer, RN, realized their shared love for…
This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in San Diego. During the meeting, I attended several sessions focused on the utility of alternative research methods, including PhotoVoice and digital storytelling,…
Sometimes, when we think of making a difference in health care, we think of major changes – introducing new technology or surgical skills. What we often forget are the small elements of day-to-day work that we take for granted but…
When Dr. Leo Odongo moved from Mbarara, Uganda, to the smaller city of Kabale in September 2016, he noticed a concerning trend. Patients in Kabale and the surrounding rural areas did not have access to dermatology services. Even more concerning,…
For Karen Stolman, MD the motivation to complete her first global health volunteer assignment came from falling in love. “It started with falling in love with the country of Costa Rica, and having already visited and being fluent in Spanish,”…
Although 2018 Golden Apple Award Recipient Cynthia Howard, MD, MPHTM “had never really volunteered before,” when she first learned of HVO in 1996, the pediatrician already had ample experience practicing medicine in resource-scarce settings. “I had worked a bit abroad,”…
As a dermatology resident, Alexia Knapp, MD, seized upon the opportunity to complete a rotation at the Regional Dermatology Training Centre in Moshi, Tanzania. The experience sparked an enduring interest in global health and tropical medicine, which led to multiple…
Prakash Neupane, MD, a 2018 Golden Apple Award recipient, first heard about Health Volunteers Overseas during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting several years ago. However, he was unsure if he would be able to complete an…
For International Nurses Day, guest blogger Amanda Judd, FNP, board member of One Nurse at a Time, shares an experience from abroad and calls on colleagues to make a commitment to global health and nurses worldwide by using knowledge to empower others.
Editor’s note: This post was adapted from a trip report written by HVO volunteer and leader Linda Wolff, MPT, summarizing her experience working as part of a team to deliver wheelchair service provision training to physical therapy providers in Thimphu, Bhutan.…