“I remember my first delivery room experience in medical school and the sense of awe that I felt at the sound of the baby’s first cry. Years of practice have done little to diminish the wonder and relief of witnessing a safe transition. Even the most experienced practitioner can appreciate the cascade of miraculous changes that occur in every part of the body.”
Dr Katherine Horan,
“The breath of life: Helping babies survive”
An account of her experience volunteering for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; Doctors Without Borders) clinic in Katiola, Côte d’Ivoire, Africa
Contemporary Pediatrics, Sep 1, 2017
Healthcare Around the World
Of the 570 physicians who have graduated from MSIH in the 20 years of its existence, many are engaged in Global Health around the world, often providing healthcare to the poorest, most vulnerable populations. One such physician is Dr. Katherine (Kate) Horan, a neonatologist of the University of Miami who specializes in “Global Neonatology.”
Kate, an alumna of the 2012 class did her residency in Pediatrics at Baystate Medical Center/Tufts University. She is currently a 1st year fellow in Neonatology at the University of Miami – but never forgot her MSIH training. Today, she is a regular volunteer with Médecins Sans Frontières and has already been on four missions since she completed residency. On her missions, Kate has worked on a variety of projects including a malaria ICU, acute malnutrition ICU, refugee camp tent hospital and a maternal-infant project where she was in charge of a neonatal unit.
“Katherine Horan is exactly the type of physician MSIH strives to produce,” explains Prof. Mark Clarfield, the School’s director. “Not only is she an expert in her field, but she’s prepared to take her knowledge and experience to the people who really need her – often in the poorest places in the world.”
Médecins Sans Frontières
Dr. Horan is just one of the MSIH graduates working with MSF. Another, Dr. Ryan Carroll (Charter Class of 2002), of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School has worked with MSF in Lebanon, Liberia, and Uganda.
“When Kate Horan referred in her article in Contemporary Pediatrics to her first delivery room experience in medical school,” says Clarfield, “it makes us extremely proud that she’s referring to her medical education at MSIH. We will continue to produce doctors like Kate who are able and willing help the world’s suffering populations.
Kate Horan has become something of a “poster doctor” for MSF, with video interviews of her at work on their website.
This video explains her work in Africa.
This video features Dr. Horan explaining the work she did in South Sudan.
An account of her experience in Côte d’Ivoire appears in Contemporary Pediatrics. The full article can be viewed by clicking this link: The breath of life: Helping babies survive.
