Here we tell you why our mission, vision and approach matter.
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…
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…
Hospitals are meant to be safe havens. Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital (SKMH) in Kampot, Cambodia is striving to ensure that not only are they offering the highest quality clinical care, but also the highest standard of patient safety. Hospital administrators are…
Dr. Rómulo Silva, an orthopedic surgeon in Portugal, was one of the first volunteers to serve at HVO’s new partner site at Hospital de Clinicas in Asunción, Paraguay. Dr. Silva has always had an interest in volunteerism, travel, and learning.…
Vanessa Teed, MSN, RN, CEN, CGNC Global Nurse Educator | PhD in Nursing Student | ICN-Certified Global Nurse Consultant Since 2023, my work and doctoral studies have been guided by a consistent view of global nursing education. For me, it…
Dr. Louis Rafetto has been volunteering with the HVO oral health program since 1992. In that time, he has completed assignments in India, Peru, Colombia, Cambodia, Tanzania, and Nicaragua. “I’ve always been interested in volunteering,” said Dr. Rafetto. “I was…
Chantha Hou, head of the hematology and flow cytometry laboratory at Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia has been working with HVO volunteer Dr. Luke Carter-Brzezinski since early 2024. Dr. Carter-Brzezinski is a UK-based hematologist who spent three months with…
By Leslee Jaeger, MD In 2018, I decided to take a three-month sabbatical to do volunteer work in rural parts of Minnesota and to volunteer with HVO. I had already been working in Haiti since 2006, so I wanted to…
During Dr. Richard Henker’s trip to Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) in 2024, he collaborated with local partners to conduct a successful workshop focused on regional anesthesia for eleven anesthesiology residents. He was accompanied by several of his own…
དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་གཞུང་། གསོ་བ་ལྷན་ཁག། Royal Government of BhutanPhuentsholing Hospital Chhukha: Bhutan Authored By: Phub Wangdi, Team leader, Palliative Care Services, Phuentsholing Hospital THE JOURNEY BEGINS The journey of introducing palliative care services in Phuentsholing, Chhukha, began unexpectedly for me. One day, I received…
In 2016, nutrition specialist Dr. Susan Kleiner’s husband received a call from a friend looking for a dentist to join a volunteer trip to Can Tho, Vietnam. He asked Dr. Kleiner what she thought he should do. “I said, ‘Well…