Surgical mission work: an inside perspective

Monico Solomon, Jr., BS, CAT

From the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.

Corresponding author: Monico Solomon, Jr., BS, CAT, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246 (e-mail: monicos@baylorhealth.edu).

It has been my privilege to participate in many foreign surgical missions the past 12 years. My first experience was accompanying Dr. John Preskitt to the southernmost part of Mexico in 1990. I became intimately involved with the missions in 1991 when Dr. Craig Hobar founded the LEAP Organization (Life Enhancement Association for People), which now averages 3 or 4 excursions annually. I cannot say that every morning I wake up with an altruistic mind-set, but I am much more cognizant of the resources and means in my immediate work environment that are available for use in missionary efforts.

The purpose of this article is to provide an inside look at surgical mission work abroad and show the contributions of many people at different professional levels that make it all possible. (BUMC Proceedings 2002;15:147-153)