Vida Peru

I spoke with a group of some 100+ physicians and dentists tonight at the annual volunteer appreciation event for Vida Peru.

Vida Peru asked me to speak about the work of HBI and the concept of volunteerism. Mind you, speaking to a group of 100+ people at 5:30 p.m. on a Thursday night is never an easy task - but that task was made a significant degree more complicated when you consider the fact that I was speaking in English with a translator. Thank you so much to Reverend Pat Blanchard for her fantastic idiomatic translations.

By the end of the talk only 2-3 people in the audience were snoring, and only a half a dozen or so others had their eyes closed. Not too bad. No, seriously. It was a real honor to be the "key note" speaker for our partner agency's event. I am really excited by the turn-out and more excited by our partnership with Vida Peru. I see a real future for our collaborative efforts to get more Peruvian health professionals volunteering.

I will be meeting with Vida Peru and our staff lawyer (Dr. Cesar Daniel Bueno Rojas) tomorrow morning to discuss the development of a conference for Peruvian providers in September. We are talking about promoting a conference to educate Peruvian healthcare professional working in impoverished areas about the "primary care approach to diagnosing and treating diabetes." We plan to have a one day intensive CME conference and a one day clinic in an impoverished clinic.

Stay tuned for more details on this upcoming project. We will be seeking volunteer presenters (any endocrinologists out there want to come to Piura - in the North of Peru?) for the conference in the coming weeks. The work never ends - and boy, it sure is great (even if I have to be away from my lovely wife and our beautiful Little Alex).