It is with great pleasure that I post this next post from America! I know I just went on a rant about the Visa process, but it still feels nice to be home. Although it happened weeks ago, today I’d like to talk about my amazing opportunity to visit Mali. I was invited by one … Continue reading Mischievous Mali →

I speak about failure quite a bit in this forum. My last three posts were dedicated to unique aspects of failing. I see failure as essential to growth, for what we learn after committing mistakes writes textbooks. However, the failure that I have now experienced in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia is one that … Continue reading Residents Denied Visa to the US →

Hello all again. We are getting so much closer to our goal to get our senior residents to our national conference in May. Thank you all for your support. Please take a look at our fundraising page after reading our next post. As I write this, we are 42% of the way to our goal! … Continue reading Oh Hana →

Today we continue with our mini-series on fighting the long defeat. After you read this, please consider donating to our residents to get them to the US for an amazing surgery conference where they have been asked to present their hard work. As of writing this post, we are 40% of the way to our … Continue reading A Daughter Gained and Lost →

Today I'd like to talk about something very important to me and our residents. And we could use all of your help! Our senior residents have been selected to present their amazing hard work at this year's Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM)! May 1st-5th. For those of you who aren't familiar, COSM is one of … Continue reading We need your help! →

Six months into my life at Ayder, it was time to test what this department could really do. For 6 months we drilled the importance of pre-rounding, rounding, persistent patient care and most importantly, accountability. We have created a dependable, efficient and safe team. As a team, we can figure almost anything out, triage any … Continue reading Fighting the “Long Defeat” →

Today is my 6th month anniversary of my arrival in Ethiopia. It only seems fitting to dedicate today's post to the group of people that make my life fun, exciting and fulfilling: Our ENT Team. When I visited in November of 2017, it only took 48 hours to fall in love with the team. Which … Continue reading Our Team →

Alright, I’m going to try to produce a series of “short” posts to get us all clinically caught up. I figured we’d start with the case I’ve hinted at many times; Amina and the hyena attack. Two days before Halloween -- although it's not celebrated here it gives it an eerie context to me – … Continue reading Amina and the Hyena →

Hi everyone! It has been a very long time since my last post. Thank you all for the support after my last post! I’m alive, well, and enjoying life still. We have a lot of medicine to catch up on:  Amina (our hyena-bite laryngectomy) is being discharged, we completed our first laryngectomy, have done 3 … Continue reading I use animals to help me reflect on life. →

I’ve experienced a lot in Mekelle. Most good and some bad, but what I experienced last night will haunt me for some time. My friends from home often ask if its safe here and my response has always been something along the lines of, “any city is dangerous, but at least its safer than the … Continue reading Becoming Trauma →