Ep 040 - International Health with Dr. Rick Hodes

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found here.


Dr. Hodes is an American internist in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He
is the Ethiopian medical director of the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee, a 103 year old organization that provides
high-impact disaster relief and long-term development assistance
worldwide.


Dr. Hodes completed his undergraduate degree at Middlebury
College in 1975; completed his medical degree at University of
Rochester School of Medicine in 1982; and then completed an
internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins University in 1985.


Before completing his residency, Dr. Hodes made his first trip to
Ethiopia as a relief worker during the 1984 famine. He then won a
Fulbright Fellowship after residency to teach at Addis Ababa
University School of Medicine from 1985-1988. In 1990, he joined
the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to help care for
the Ethiopian immigrants to Israel, work that eventually led him
to become senior consultant at Mother Teresa’s Mission, caring
for sick and destitute patients. In addition to his work in
Ethiopia, he has worked with refugees in Rwanda, Zaire, Tanzania,
and Albania, in one instance being charged with the health of
some 50,000 refugees in the Kibumba camp in Zaire.


In 1999, Dr. Hodes met 2 abandoned orphans with Pott Disease (or,
tuberculosis of the spine) and adopted them so that he could put
them on this insurance so that he could bring them to the United
States for surgery. This set in motion events that would see Dr.
Hodes officially launch the Ethiopian spine program in 2006.
During that first year, he got 20 new patients with spinal
deformities. The clinic now averages over 1 new patient a day.
Today, following nearly 3000 spine patients, Dr. Hodes partners
with world-renowned, Ghanaian spine surgeon Dr. Oheneba
Boachie-Adjei, with whom he has arranged over 600 surgeries.
Observing this, noted Indian spine surgeon Dr. S. Rajasekaran
commented “Rick has the largest collection of the worst spines in
the world.”


Dr. Hodes has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in the
medical literature; has been awarded 5 honorary doctorates; and
has been a commencement speaker at multiple schools, including
the University of Rochester, UC Davis, and Brandeis. The American
College of Physicians has awarded him “Mastership” (the level of
membership above fellow), as well as the Rosenthal Award for
creative practice of medicine. He was recognized as a CNN Hero in
the category “Champion of Children.” He is the subject of 4
documentary films, including “Making the Crooked Straight” and
“Zemene,” as well as a book, “This is a Soul: the Mission of Rick
Hodes” by Marilyn Berger.


Dr. Hodes lives in Ethiopia with his family and patients.


Please enjoy with Dr. Rick Hodes!