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INMED News, January 2005

Where will the next generation of medical missionaries come from? How will young health professionals catch the vision for missions unless they actually experience them? On this theme, my thoughts frequently turn to the new, 80 bed Lubango Evangelical Medical Center. Conceived by Steve Foster, MD, and funded through Samaritan's Purse, the EMC will be a beacon of hope for the impoverished city when it opens in the near future. However, the heart of any ministry is not in its buildings and grounds, but it's people. The EMC has but one full-time physician who is committed to serve the thousands who will seek assistance. People will come suffering from malaria, malnutrition, liver failure, fractures, and labor complications. They will require emergency care, surgery, anesthesia, and prevention efforts aimed at curbing these diseases. Yet these worthy efforts require devoted professionals. Foster described the shortage succinctly: Dr. Steve Foster "In November we did 32 surgical cases in 3 days. One 16 year old gal from Chicuma went in to labor 5 days before coming to the hospital. When she arrived the baby was dead, squashed into a vaginal canal. I managed to get the baby out, but the gal promptly went into septic shock. Only massive doses of IV fluids and antibiotics brought her round. By the second day she was hungry and wondering what happened to her. Without a doctor present she wouldn't have made it. Even a well-trained Angolan nurse doesn't understand septic shock well enough to manage these cases. So keep telling the message. We need another doctor or two!" INMED graduates will be among those who respond to such a challenge. We must do our part to assist them; to help share the vision and provide the means for young professionals to experience the privilege assisting those people who are most in need.

INMED News, April 2005

Chrissy VanDillen Chrissy VanDillen recently served at the Baptist Medical Center in Nalerigu, northern Ghana, and earned the INMED International Medicine Diploma Program." "I am a medical student at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, and have been interested in international medicine and learning about all the opportunities available for physicians to help people outside of the United States. When I say opportunity, I am trying to impress upon others what a trip like the one I took to Ghana can do for an individual. This trip changed my life. This adventure forced me to think of every aspect of life and my plans for the future." "I was given enormous responsibility, and this made me realize what I need to learn and what my future holds. I saw Dr. Faile treating patients the best he could, even if that meant being on call every night, not eating for an entire day, and not seeing his family. The only compensation was the fact that patients were living more comfortably who otherwise might have died. His example helped strengthen my own faith in God. I would like to follow his example by working a developing nation."

INMED News, May 2005

New INMED Office In May 2005 HCA, Hospital Corporation of America, donated office space to INMED in the doctor's building at Baptist-Lutheran Medical Center at 6700 Troost Avenue, Suite 224, in Kansas City, Missouri, 64131-4401. These 200 square feet of comfortable space now allow INMED's full-time staff of two to more effectively equip health professional for international service. Micah Flint also joined INMED as C.E.O. Micah is a native of Kansas City, and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with Bachelors degrees in biology and political science, and from Park University with a Masters of Health Administration degree in non-profit management and disaster relief. "I've always dreamed that my career would also be my personal ministry," says Micah. "When I became acquainted with INMED, I was excited to realize this dream would become a reality."

INMED News, June 2005

2004-05 INMED Grads Six medical students from the Universities of Missouri and Kansas Schools of Medicine completed the INMED International Medicine Diploma Program during the 2004-05 academic year. Erika Kloepfel served for a month at Hospital Evangelico in Honduras. Jennifer Rathburn, Chrissy VanDillen, Diana Atashroo and Lisa Roark studied at Nilerigu Baptist Medical Center in Ghana. Timothy Stephens served two months with Liaoning International Health Trainers in Shenyang, China. To date INMED has enrolled 25 medical students and resident physicians for the Diploma in International Medicine for the 2005-06 academic year. They will complete a core didactic study of international health issues, diseases of poverty, cross-cultural skills and health leadership, and serve for 1-2 months at an INMED training site in Asia, Africa or Central America.

INMED News, July 2005

Albert Schweitzer The face of medical missions has changed dramatically since Albert Schweitzer left for Gabon in 1910. He served isolated people with very limited medical resources. Over the last 100 years we have witnessed enormous increases in international relations and medical capabilities. We have also seen the capitalization of medicine into an industry, the rise of HIV, natural disasters, and terrorism. What does all this mean for the future of medical missions? Without a doubt there will continue to be a multitude of people in severe need of medical care. Some physicians and other health care professionals will also continue to be highly motivated out of compassion to assist those in need. Yet our approaches to such care must flex with the realities of today's world. The following trends will mark the future of medical missions: Emphasis on basic care. In a world of limited medical resources expediency is a key concept. Dollar for dollar, more health can be "purchased" by emphasizing clean water, nutrition, vaccinations, contraception, and well child care than can be attained through hospital services. Yet hospital care also fills needs that are both painful and real, and will continue to play a role. Emphasis on training. Health workers with very basic training can make an impact on their communities. Courses of 3-6 months duration will be an essential health strategy in developing countries. On a higher level, training national leadership in schools of public health will continue to facilitate ownership and national self-sufficiency. Emergency response. SARS and the recent tsunami are striking reminders that lives may fall into peril at any moment. Preparation for such crises will remain both a high priority and an excellent opportunity to show compassion. Volunteer service. Medical missions bring out the very best in doctors and other health professionals. Besides meet genuine human needs, it reignites many of the virtues that propelled us into medicine in the beginning. Service in developing nations will doubtlessly remain a timeless medical career hallmark, and INMED will continue to provide the training essential to success in this field.

INMED News, August 2005

INMED STUDENTS IN CHINA

Timothy Stephen Timothy Stephens took advantage of a rare opportunity to earn his INMED International Medicine Diploma Program while studying with Liaoning International General Health Trainers in Shenyang, China. Timothy is a senior medical student at the Kansas University School of Medicine. Parts of China are developing economically at a fast pace. But many rural communities and low-income workers often have less medical care today than twenty years ago. The emphasis on private pay for care has just left many Chinese unable to afford even the basics. What's more, hepatitis and HIV are putting tremendous pressure on China's already taxed medical system. "I worked with an American physician in a clinic where we served farm laborers and those who were unemployed. Most people with no decent job have no access to medical care either. Our clinic helped to fill the gap by providing vaccinations, cancer screening, and treatment for more common conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and rheumatic heart disease." "China profoundly impacted my life. I am still studying the Chinese language, and my wife and I are planning to return to live in China once I finish my family medicine residency. I went into medicine out of compassion for people who are most in need, and reaching out to them through the Deji clinic was for me the most fulfilling opportunity of my entire medical career to date."

INMED News, September 2005

Paul Cartwright Paul Cartwright has long dreamed of serving in Africa. Now, as a medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Paul's dream is becoming reality. He is scheduled to study at Banso Baptist Hospital in Cameroon, West Africa, in January and February, 2006. "At the beginning of med school I had the opportunity to do ophthalmology work with at team in Haiti. We took out cataracts and prescribed glasses for hundreds of people who were basically blind before we came. The experience totally transformed me. Medicine is a great way to serve people, and almost no needy country will turn doctors away. I'm excited to go study in Cameroon now that I have more skills to share. After finishing my medical training I can see myself integrating medical missions throughout my career."

INMED News, October 2005

David Lachman David Lachman is a medical student at the Medical College of Georgia. Inspired through his earlier experience in China, David is preparing to study in Shenyang, China, for the INMED International Medicine Diploma Program. "While I was studying Chinese in Shanghai, my professor wanted me to see the contrast between the modern cities of China and the rural poor. As I witnessed the miserable life of rural China, I realized how much a few medications, vaccinations, and simple public health measures could ease the people's pains. I wanted to be able to help them in substantial ways. That experience motivated me to go to medical school and sparked my interest in studying international medicine. After repaying my medical school debts, I plan to permanently work in a developing country."

INMED News, November 2005

Nicholas Comninellis Images of hurricane destruction along the Gulf Coast are rapidly being supplanted by ones of hungry, hurting victims of the disaster - many of whom are physically ill. Hospitals as far away as Denver and New York are filling with transferred patients suffering from dysentery, dehydration, and respiratory diseases. What does this crisis teach us about international health? First, it is a solemn reminder that emergency preparation is critical. Comparison between the tsunami of December 2004, and Hurricane Katrina is inevitable. In both cases, grave inadequacies surfaced in early warning and in relief response. Katrina is also a reminder of how intimately health depends upon clean water, food, and shelter. Remove these essentials, and note how rapidly disease appears. Yet not so far from our own borders reside many millions of people who live a post-Katrina lifestyle every day of their lives! As we rush to assist the victims of the hurricane, we will do well to think of those in South America, Africa and Asia who subsist with so little. Finally, Katrina is a heart-warming reminder of the good will and giving nature that characterizes people. From mobilized Army Engineers to grade school children making care packages, we are experiencing first hand that it is not only those who receive assistance who benefit. Giving also brings out the very best in the ones who give. To increase your own skills to respond to global health challenges, please take advantage of the INMED International Medicine Course.

INMED News, December 2005

INMED STUDENTS IN HONDURAS

Erica Heitmann, center Erica Heitmann fulfilled a life-long dream by serving at the Hospital Evangelico in Honduras qualifying for the INMED International Medicine Diploma Program. Erica is a senior medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and President of their student chapter of the CMDA. "I had seen photos and heard stories about health problems in the developing world," says Erica, "but no education was nearly as valuable as actually making the trip and trying to help out for myself. I felt pretty inadequate in the beginning, but the thoughtful staff physicians there guided me through my first cases of malaria and dysentery. They also gave me a roll model to follow. Working with way too many patients and far too little in the way of supplies would strain anyone. But these docs were consistently patient and compassionate. Amazing!" "I'm about to start residency, but I'm already looking for my next opportunity to go back to Honduras and serve again. This time, I will be much better prepared, both with knowledge and skills. But perhaps more importantly, studying in Honduras fueled my personal desire to serve God and other people through my career in medicine."

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