OCT-A-10
THE “AUTHOR’S INTERVIEW” BY CINDY GALKA
AS PART OF HER SENIOR MASTER’S DEGREE
BROADCAST JOURNALISM
Cindy Galka
Art of
the Interview
April 15, 2002
Profile of Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D., Ph.D.
"To live. To learn.
To love. To laugh. To legacy." The five L-words that describe the life to which all people are
entitled, according to Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D., Ph.D. However, it is not that way for all people on this vast planet.
Many spend much of their lives in search of the needed calories for
physical survival. It is these same people, who Dr. Geelhoed has
spent much of his life in search of, hoping to better their existence and
minimize their suffering, through introducing modern medicine to their cultures.
Prior to applying for medical school,
Geelhoed thought he wanted to pursue a career in the humanities. But he decided that that "would be too
much like eating dessert all day". Plus,
he did not envision a realistic chance to be able to make much of a difference
in the lives of others. Thankfully,
for many of Geelhoed's students and patients, since that pivotal point, he
chose to pursue a career in medicine. Eventually becoming Professor of Surgery and
of International Medical Education at George Washington University.
He has not however, given up the humanities
entirely. Nor has he allowed his career
to limit the experiences he will have in his lifetime. Geelhoed is also a writer, a photojournalist,
a perpetual student (earning several graduate level degrees in various other
subjects), a proud father and grandfather, an avid marathoner, a naturalist
and an active participant in nearly every outdoor sport from hunting to SCUBA
diving. He does not stand still for
long.
And as if that weren't enough to fill
his time, he also manages to fit in three to six months annually working as
a medical missionary (sans financial support). Geelhoed points out that he makes his living over here, in the United
States, enabling him to travel to the far reaches of the Earth, to do this
type of work. He prefers "to
purchase experiences as opposed to things".
This is easy to believe coming from
a man, who is entirely comfortable dressed in UPS-issue brown pants, worn
rolled at the bottom (as opposed to hemmed).
No doubt purchased for their reasonable price and practical features,
they will also probably end up on somebody else in a far corner of the world,
at some point. Almost all of his personal
possessions make a one-way trip on his journeys. Sometimes by force. But more often by choice.
Geelhoed was awakened to the unfortunate
lives that many live, during a college trip to the Dominican Republic.
He was infected by the mission work he was exposed to during that time,
causing him to seek out patients with the same energy and enthusiasm required
of the fictitious Indiana Jones in his search for the Holy Grail.
There are no boundaries in his quest.
He will operate on anyone anywhere.
His only criterion is that those who he treats, not be able to pay
for their treatment. Of this one requirement, Geelhoed notes that
he has that market cornered. For now
anyway.
Although it is not uncommon for him
to travel solo, Geelhoed also recruits medical students to participate in
some of his missions. This creates
an ever expanding network of medical missionaries, who will continue his work
well into the future. While students
gain invaluable experiences, both professionally and socially.
Students learn to utilize learned medical skills in environments that demand
they do more with fewer resources. Facilities
rarely include such luxuries as electricity; nevermind specialized tools and
operating rooms. It is lucky if they
have a building in which to work. But when they don’t, Geelhoed and students
figure out a way to get things done. They
are forced to think about the practice of medicine and how to apply various
techniques. Students also gain first
hand experience with diseases that are not as commonly found in the United
States.
Regardless of location, Geelhoed and his students are not only there to
provide one time medical treatments. They
are there to help train members of each population in medical techniques,
to teach hygienic procedures and to stimulate self-help initiatives.
As Geelhoed illustrates in his book, Out of Assa: Heart of the Congo, (written about one
solo mission to Assa) he often turns down
requests from natives to fund various personal desires (i.e. - tuition,
plus room, plus board, plus travel expenses for a son - and oh yeah, the rest of the family will also require travel expenses
and accommodation - as they are vital to the survival of the son, and so on).
It is not that he does not place value in these requests.
Instead, he prefers to put his funds toward sustainable projects that
will help to uplift and improve the circumstances of a whole population. Not just improve the lives of certain members
by removing them from their present circumstances.
He is always in search of a “positive deviant” in each population - someone who takes the initiative to learn and
practice some sort of skill that contributes to the improvement of life for
their community.
Aside from the professional advantages, students also gain a new life perspective
by learning about other cultures and how they live. The medical care provided on these missions
is often the first formal medical care some populations have ever received.
The missions are conducted in remote third world areas, where access
to medical treatment is scarce if available at all.
A fact that is hard to imagine when living in the United States.
Geelhoed expresses the feeling
that he himself has gained more from his patients, then they have gained from
him. “There is a spiritual richness
that you couldn’t find in people who have too many things. They have nothing, but [what they do have]
they will give away.” Lessons that
undoubtedly are missed by many in our society obsessed with consumption.
But don’t let Geelhoed’s desire to teach and to learn and to help others
fool you into thinking that this man is all work. He makes no apology for the fact that his missions also happen to
be a “rip-roaring good adventure.” Like his hero, David Livingstone, Geelhoed
is compelled to explore those worlds unknown to him.
And as long as he is able, you can be sure that he will be out there,
doing just that, and tending to others whenever possible.