Dr. Michael Newman has plenty of experience practicing medicine in impoverished and troubled countries through Doctors Without Borders. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 11:10 a.m. in the Higley Hall auditorium, he will address the global impact of poor health care in light of the Ebola crisis.
Newman will discuss the conditions of working with Ebola and other diseases in areas without access to institutionalized medicine and how medical personnel can avoid or correct deadly errors. He also will talk about the complications of violence and other circumstances that exacerbate poor medical conditions in countries like Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Syria and South Sudan. After the lecture, he will meet interested students for an informal lunch discussion in Peirce Hall.
“Dr. Newman has served Doctors Without Borders as a general surgeon in Liberia, Syria and other locations,” Joan Slonczewski, professor of biology, said. “The places where he has worked have Ebola outbreaks as well as other diseases that we in the U.S. never hear about.”
Newman is a member of Doctors Without Borders’ U.S. Board of Directors, overseeing the organization that provides much-needed health care to countries in need of humanitarian aid. The nonprofit alerted the world to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa months before the deadly disease received international attention. With Ebola now a global concern, experienced doctors like Newman have grown invaluable in combating the disease and preventing similar outbreaks.
by Matthew Eley '15