Physicians for Peace volunteers, Dr. Keith Goss and Dr. Justin Faul, on a surgery
mission in Eritrea in October. Without volunteers like these, Physicians for Peace
would not be able to carry out its mission of building peace and international friendships.

Every month during this 20th Anniversary year, Physicians for Peace has honored special individuals who have given their time and talent to help treat those with little or no access to medical care and provide specialized training to countless medical professionals. This month, as the year comes to an end, and we reflect on the work we have done, it becomes clear that our "20 Years of Heroes" campaign would not be complete without honoring every single person who has contributed to Physicians for Peace as a volunteer.

At Physicians for Peace, all of our work in the field, touching people's lives and improving their chances for a better future, is done by volunteers. Every day, in faraway corners of the world, they continue to follow the example set by our founder, Dr. Charles Horton, of compassion and self-sacrifice. We could not accomplish our mission without them.

This year, 202 volunteers went on 49 missions in 20 countries, helping thousands of people in need. Our volunteers are truly heroes!

On behalf of the Physicians for Peace staff, THANK YOU for a great year, and have a healthy and happy Holiday Season!
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Volunteer Nurses - The Heart of Physicians for Peace
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 by 20Years of Heroes

Diane Strout (center), Chair of Physicians for Peace's Global Nurse Education Committee, making friends with nurses from Algeria, Philippines, Egypt and Libya during a recent mission to Libya International Medical University in Benghazi.

 

In honor of our 20th anniversary,we have been recognizing those whose work has contributed to the success of Physicians for Peace. It would be impossible to talk about the heroes of medical volunteer work without giving credit to the nurses who devote their time, hard work, and expertise to Physicians for Peace programs.

Nurses are a vital part of every surgery mission, but that is only the beginning of the important contributions they provide. As an organization focused on medical education, we could not do the work we do without the help of volunteer nurses. The Physicians for Peace Global Nurse Education Committee has developed curriculae for teaching a variety of medical skills in resource-poor settings. Creating these replicable programs in medical education has enabled thousands of medical professionals in the developing world to gain life-saving information which they have used to improve the quality of care in their communities. These training programs, which cover everything from midwifery skills to treatment of pediatric burns, have also allowed more volunteers to effectively teach around the world, reaching more people in need.

The Global Nurse Education Committee (GNEC), part of the Physicians for Peace Medical Operations Committee (MOC), is comprised of nurses practicing in a variety of fields, representing hospitals, universities, and medical schools throughout Virginia. But its members are not only concerned with training and academia. They are the ones on the ground in the developing world, working side by side with their in-country counterparts caring for patients, delivering medical supplies and medicines, and helping to establish self-sustaining clinics and treatment centers around the world. These ambassadors of international health education also exchange cultural awareness and develop valuable friendships.

Their on-going work is invaluable to the mission of Physicians for Peace, and we honor them as our heroes!