Episode 024: John Lawrence, Doctors Without Borders, and Syria

Syria is in the midst of a civil war.  As a measure of the seriousness of the situation, a Reuters report out recently says that the war has claimed the lives of 115,000 people.  And with 5000 of those deaths in September alone, it seems as though international pressure to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons hasn't slowed the war down at all.  The UN reports that only twelve international aid organizations are approved by Syrian officials to work in country. One of those is Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres.  This time on The Short Coat Podcast, we welcome back Dr. John Lawrence, pediatric surgeon and associate professor of Surgery at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. and formerly of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.  Dr. Lawrence has performed six surgical missions working with MSF, and he's come to Iowa to talk about Syria, from which he's recently returned.  Not long ago, medical students Jessica Gaulter, Katherine Ryken, and Ethan Forsgren sat down to talk with him about his experiences with MSF and in Syria.

Listen now--Episode 024: John Lawrence, Doctors Without  Borders, and Syria

Episode 014: Doctors Without Borders, Part 2

Welcome back for Part 2 of Dr. John Lawrence's discussion on Doctors Without Borders (here's Part 1).

In 1971, a group of doctors and journalists in France got together to create Medecins Sans Frontieres.  Today, MSF, or Doctors Without Borders, boasts more than 27,000 committed individuals representing dozens of nationalities who provide assistance to people caught in crises around the world. They are doctors, nurses, logistics experts, administrators, epidemiologists, laboratory technicians, mental health professionals and others who work in more than 60 countries helping people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.  They also bring attention to neglected crises, challenge inadequacies or abuses of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols.

In the second part of this two-part episode of The Short Coat, Dr. John Lawrence, formerly associate professor of surgery at the University of Iowa and now at the University of Vermont, continues to discuss his work in Doctors Without Borders.

Special thanks to the Carver College of Medicine's Global Programs department, and to Mo Yacoub for production assistance! 

Listen: Episode 014: Doctors Without Borders, Part 2
Or, start with Part 1.

Episode 014: Doctors Without Borders, Part 1

In 1971, a group of doctors and journalists in France got together to create Medecins Sans Frontieres.  Today, MSF, or Doctors Without Borders, boasts more than 27,000 committed individuals representing dozens of nationalities who provide assistance to people caught in crises around the world. They are doctors, nurses, logistics experts, administrators, epidemiologists, laboratory technicians, mental health professionals and others who work in more than 60 countries helping people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.  They also bring attention to neglected crises, challenge inadequacies or abuses of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols.

In this two-part episode of The Short Coat, Dr. John Lawrence, formerly associate professor of surgery at the University of Iowa and now at the University of Vermont, returns to the Carver College of Medicine to discuss his work in Doctors Without Borders.

Special thanks to the Carver College of Medicine's Global Programs department, and to Mo Yacoub for production assistance! 

Listen: Episode 014: Doctors Without Borders