Spring Break
San Jose native tells story of volunteer work in Liberia
Samie Hartley
Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 3 next >
As slides of malnourished children flashed on a screen behind him, San Jose native Dr. Andrew Schechtman told the story of his experiences in Africa as a volunteer for Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian organization that sends doctors around the world to provide emergency care and aid.
Schechtman's discussion held on Wednesday in Duncan Hall, focused on the year he spent in Liberia, a country that he said only had a few dozen doctors to support the population of nearly three million people.
"I came back from Liberia feeling like it was the best work I'd ever done," Schechtman said. "I said at the time that I felt if I got hit by a bus, it would be okay because I had done something that had made a difference."
During his lecture, an event sponsored by San Jose State University's American Medical Student Association chapter, an audience of approximately 50 people occasionally gasped as Schechtman displayed his self-described "disturbing" photos in a PowerPoint presentation.
Anabel Ortiz, a junior in the pre-med program, said after attending Schechtman's talk, she would consider participating in a program such as Doctors Without Borders.
"I thought the presentation was really inspiring," Ortiz said. "It is so sad to see the conditions those people have to live in."
Schechtman, who claimed he couldn't find Liberia on a map prior to his assignment with Doctors Without Borders, gave the audience a brief history about the status of Liberia when he arrived in the country in August 2002. At the time, Liberia was in the middle of a civil war, and Schechtman said the threat of violence was always a possibility during his six-month stay at a hospital in the town of Harper.
While in Harper, Schechtman served as the supervisor for the pediatric ward and the surgery unit.
Even though he is not a surgeon, Schechtman had to perform surgery when the resident Liberian surgeon would leave for weeks at a time.
Schechtman showed a picture of a Caesarean section he performed and pointed out the sweat on his brow, but he said he enjoyed the challenge.
Schechtman's discussion held on Wednesday in Duncan Hall, focused on the year he spent in Liberia, a country that he said only had a few dozen doctors to support the population of nearly three million people.
"I came back from Liberia feeling like it was the best work I'd ever done," Schechtman said. "I said at the time that I felt if I got hit by a bus, it would be okay because I had done something that had made a difference."
During his lecture, an event sponsored by San Jose State University's American Medical Student Association chapter, an audience of approximately 50 people occasionally gasped as Schechtman displayed his self-described "disturbing" photos in a PowerPoint presentation.
Anabel Ortiz, a junior in the pre-med program, said after attending Schechtman's talk, she would consider participating in a program such as Doctors Without Borders.
"I thought the presentation was really inspiring," Ortiz said. "It is so sad to see the conditions those people have to live in."
Schechtman, who claimed he couldn't find Liberia on a map prior to his assignment with Doctors Without Borders, gave the audience a brief history about the status of Liberia when he arrived in the country in August 2002. At the time, Liberia was in the middle of a civil war, and Schechtman said the threat of violence was always a possibility during his six-month stay at a hospital in the town of Harper.
While in Harper, Schechtman served as the supervisor for the pediatric ward and the surgery unit.
Even though he is not a surgeon, Schechtman had to perform surgery when the resident Liberian surgeon would leave for weeks at a time.
Schechtman showed a picture of a Caesarean section he performed and pointed out the sweat on his brow, but he said he enjoyed the challenge.
Be the first to comment on this story