Voices from the Field: Interviews with Global Health Pathology Volunteers

Timothy K Amukele; Sarah Riley; Merih T Tesfazghi

doi:10.1016/j.cll.2017.10.002

Voices from the Field: Interviews with Global Health Pathology Volunteers

Clin Lab Med. 2018 Mar;38(1):11-20. doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2017.10.002. Epub 2017 Dec 13.

Authors

Timothy K Amukele¹, Sarah Riley², Merih T Tesfazghi³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street/Carnegie 417, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA; Clinical Core Laboratory at Infectious Diseases Institute, MU-JHU Research Collaboration, Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University, Mulago Hospital Complex, PO Box 22418, Kampala, Uganda. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
³ Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO 63104, USA.

PMID: 29412875
DOI: 10.1016/j.cll.2017.10.002

Abstract

Volunteerism in pathology is an uncommon experience. This article attempts to shed light on this experience based on guided narrative interviews. The authors' interviews suggest that prototypical pathology volunteers participate in long-term missions, tend to be later in their careers, are motivated by personal reasons, get involved in volunteering through nongovernmental organizations, focuses on capacity building, and at least partially self-funds their efforts.

Keywords: Clinical laboratory; Low-resource setting; Pathology; Short-term medical mission; Volunteer.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Global Health*
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Medical Laboratory Personnel
Medical Missions*
Pathologists*
Pathology, Clinical*
Volunteers*