MAR-A-10
RECOMMENDATION
LETTER FROM MY MTM CHAIRMAN
PETER J HOTEZ
March 4, 2003
Re: Letter of Recommendation
Glenn Geelhoed MD
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my pleasure for me to write the strongest possible letter in support of Dr. Geelhoed’s award and recognition by our university.
In my twenty years of working and teaching at academic medical centers, I can honestly say there are few individuals who match Glenn with respect to both his accomplishments and impact on humanity. Let us give pause and reflect on what Glenn does for his “bread and butter.” He squeezes into small and questionable aircraft, typically of military vintage, and swoops down into the most inhospitable places on our planet. They are inhospitable not so much because of difficult terrain and weather (although sometimes that too), but rather because the places he goes to are in the throes of civil war or violent unrest. Typically they include areas where strong anti-American sentiments are common. These include Mindanao in the Philippines, Nepal and numerous sites in SubSaharan Africa.
Upon arrival to these sites he accomplishes the extraordinary. Over a few days he typically operates for 20 hours a day, rescuing some of the poorest and most destitute individuals in the world from either disfiguring or agonizing conditions. Glenn is a world authority on the surgical management of thyroid diseases and has almost certainly operated on more cases of endemic goiter than any other individual in human history. However, he also performs beautiful plastic surgery for cleft lips and palates, he repairs hernias, really just about everything.
Glenn is an adept and accomplished general surgeon who could easily have become a multimillionaire if he had chosen to practice his craft in the United States. Instead, he restricts his practice to the poorest of the poor and in so doing has provided thousands of individuals with a new lease on life. In this sense, Dr. Geelhoed has touched more lives in his surgical career than almost anyone I know.
It is difficult to directly measure the benefits for our University in having bragging rights to Glenn. At the very least, we can say that he is our greatest ambassador for the world’s poor. When we wish to point out how GWU has an impact on the world, we can point to Glenn as one who makes the most visceral and tangible difference. I have to believe that in many places where Glenn works, there are thousands who remember the accomplishments of our American “ambassador in white.” We may never fully comprehend how Glenn’s quiet heroism has quelled anti-American feelings in places with strong rebel insurgencies – my impression, however is that his impact has been huge. The fact that he does so much for us, but with modesty and a great sense of humor only adds to his luster.
It is an honor for me to recommend Dr. Geelhoed for a GWU Award. He has my greatest admiration and respect.
Sincerely,
Peter Hotez MD PhD
Professor and Chair