Recent Articles about Shoulder to Shoulder
Dr. Jeff Heck receives prestigious award
In May of 2008 Dr. Jeff Heck, Executive Director of Shoulder to Shoulder, received the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) 2008 Gabriel Smilkstein Memorial Award at the STFM Annual Spring Conference in Baltimore. The award is given annually to honor a member of the STFM community whose work exemplifies that of the late Gabriel Smilkstein, MD, in furthering the development of family medicine education throughout the world. The following is Jeff's acceptance speech.
If it was easy, someone else would have done it a long time ago. This is the unofficial motto of the three dozen or so family physicians who make up the corps of the physicians who have dedicated their time, effort and resources to make Shoulder to Shoulder a successful organization that has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty and improving health, nutrition and education in some of the poorest areas in the world. The challenges are great, but as family physicians, they know how to work shoulder to shoulder with nurses, dentists, engineers, anthropologists, teachers, lawyers, firefighters, builders to improve the health of the community. Adept at working in teams and aware of the value of relationships, they have partnered with the leadership of towns and villages where few resources are available and built a socially responsive, sustainable program. To family physicians it should be no surprise that after nearly two decades of this team effort Shoulder to Shoulder has accomplished much. There are now 13 academic health centers that partner with communities providing a vast array of services and because they return year after year, genuine change has occurred in the health status of the communities involved.
Most of the family physicians working with Shoulder to Shoulder are also teachers and have done their work together with medical students, residents and junior faculty. Over the years, nearly 1000 learners have volunteered their time to work with their mentors. By helping, learning and reflecting during short term volunteer efforts, these learners have experienced the generosity and stamina of poor communities discovering or re-discovering the joy of the healing arts and the personal enrichment that comes from applying your profession to helping those in need. I have observed this many times and believe it is the second mission of Shoulder to Shoulder. It is our antidote to the disaffection with the business of medicine and the balm for our easily acquired cynicism.
So on behalf of the family physicians, specialty doctors, dentists, nurses, firefighters, lawyers, CEOs, teachers, community leaders and builders that make up Shoulder to Shoulder, thank you for the honor of awarding us with the Gabe Smilkstein award in 2008. It is my hope that we will continue to deserve the honor bestowed on us by the STFM.
Jeffery E. Heck, M.D.
Executive Director, Shoulder to Shoulder
Additional Articles
Digital Imaging Delivers Modern Medicine to the Developing World published in Imaging Technology News (2/23/2010)
Radiology IT Explores New Frontiers published in Imaging Technology News (2/4/2010)
"Lessons of Global Proportions," published in AAFP's winter newsletter (12/2010) (PDF)
"Honduras and the Hidden Hunger" published in The Daily Tar Heel and sponsored by The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting (09/10/2009)
"A Year in Honduras," published in Rochester Medicine (07/2009)
"Rapid Assessment of Access to Primary Care in Remote Parts of the Developing World," published in Field Methods by Temple University (08/2008)
"Anna man follows his heart" (Alex Freisthler RN commits to a year of volunteer work with S2S), published in Sidney Daily News (5/3/2008) (PDF)
Jessica Weeks MD and Heang Lim MD volunteer for the poor in Honduras after medical school:
- Published in "The Daily Reflector" Greenville, NC (5/13/2008) (PDF)
- Published in ECU's "Health Sciences Journal" (5/12/2008) (PDF)
Front-page article in "La Tribuna," the national newspaper of Honduras (1/19/2008) (PDF)
Poster presented by Paige Stocks on Pharmacy issues in Honduras (PDF)
Shoulder to Shoulder Model published in Family Medicine (10/2007)
"Reborn in Honduras" published in Family Medicine (02/2005)
Series by The Cincinnati Enquirer's Saundra Amrhein:
- Gifts inflate Mitch relief effort (5/10/99)
- Mitch's memories linger - Disease not the only obstacle for UC medical team (4/26/99)
- Chiquita starts all over again in Honduras (4/26/99)
- Return to Honduras - UC medical team helps fight fear, depression, disease (4/25/99)
- Shoulder to Shoulder's profile surges (4/25/99)
- Two area teams bringing aid to Honduras (4/11/99)
- Charities seek relief synergy (12/13/98)
- Tristate helps Mitch victims (11/25/98)
- Honduran jobs dry up (11/24/98)
- Honduras awash in disease (11/23/98)
- Strife in Honduras - Hope rises but hunger reigns (11/22/98)
