John Logue, Prosthetics and Orthotics Guru (P.O.G.)

The earthquake of January 12, 2010 left over 200,000 dead. Of the survivors, many thousands are now newly created amputees. Haiti has limited resources to serve this disabled population. As a specialist in artificial limbs, John Logue has the potential to help rebuild many shattered lives. In his own words.....


"I am a prosthetist/orthotist from Alabama, New Orleans, New York, New Haven, and now Baltimore. This is my first real mission, though each of those other stops seemed like a 'mission' in its own right; though maybe not as altruistic as serving in Haiti. The thing I'd like to think I took from those places, is knowing that I need to be useful for a worthwhile purpose. Albert Schwietzer got the idea right in the quote on the Haitibones.org site... 


'I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.'

The happiness he speaks of there certainly seems to show in the faces of the mission experienced Team Sinai folks. I am very grateful for the chance to be a part of this effort." 

Ram the Man

Dr. Ram Shetty is our out-of-state "ringer" from West Virginia. It's a convoluted story how Ram from West Virginia joined Team Sinai. Here it is, in 25 words or less.....Ram's sister-in-law Seska volunteered with me in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami of 2005. When Seska heard I was going to Haiti, she told me about her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Julia and Ram, both of whom are Family Medicine specialists. Both volunteered to join our team, but they had to flip a coin to decide which one would go to Haiti, and which would stay home with the kids. Ram won the toss (Sorry, Julia!). A Family Medicine specialist, Ram will likely be commandeered by the ER at HAH to help treat the ~100 patients that come to the Triage/ER on a daily basis.

Dr. Ram Shetty was born in Calcutta, India but came to live in Atlanta, GA when he was only three years old. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a BA in electrical engineering and then got his MD from the Medical College of Georgia. He went on to a residency in Family Medicine at West Virginia University and has been in practice with Julia his wife, in rural West Virginia since 2003.

 

Amy Montillano, RN

Operating room nurses are a special breed. They have to be mind readers, scavengers, diplomats, and angels of mercy. They deal with contentious surgeons, demanding anesthesiologists, and patients in distress, often at the same time. Amy Montillano does all this and more, and always with a smile and the highest degree of professionalism. She is equally adept at scrubbing and circulating. Amy came to Sinai Hospital 8 years ago from her native Philippines, where she participated in many outreach clinics and surgery camps to under served areas on her island (Cebu). She accompanied us on an Operation Rainbow mission to Quito, Ecuador two years ago, where this photo was made. (Amy is on the right). She is tireless, and as the only OR nurse on Team Sinai, will undoubtedly be very busy...

Louise Reid Boyce Nichols, RN, MD

 

We're leaving in a few weeks, and all of our team members are kicking it into high gear, gathering supplies, packing and preparing for our mission. Tonight, we introduce Dr. Louise Reid Boyce Nichols, AKA "Reid". Reid has four names and two titles. She began life as a nurse at Johns Hopkins, and switched teams to the doctor side, and is now a fully trained orthopedic surgeon. This year, she is completing a fellowship in advanced limb lengthening and reconstruction techniques at Sinai. As part of the fellowship program, all fellows are encouraged to accompany one of the attending surgeons on an international mission. This year, the three fellows (Dan Prince, Marie Gdalevitch, and Reid Boyce) have been on missions with either my husband John or his partner Shawn Standard to Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and now Haiti. Lucky Marie gets to go twice...DR and Haiti. 

Reid was originally scheduled to go on a two week surgical mission to Eritrea, until political unrest put the kabosh on that trip. The good news is that she is able to join us in Haiti instead.  In her own words....."I have wanted to travel to Haiti to help since the earthquake. I watched as a friend started an Orphan Relief Fund while I worked at home. I am a doer, not a watcher.  I feel very blessed to join a team of exceptional people who I hope will do exceptional things."

Our favorite Canadienne, Marie G.

Dr. Marie Gdalevitch is a Canadian orthopedic surgeon in Baltimore for fellowship training in Limb Reconstruction surgery at Sinai Hospital. A few months ago, she accompanied John's partner Dr. Shawn Standard on an orthopedic mission to the other half of Hispaniola - the Dominican Republic. That trip had been planned well before the January 12 earthquake, and so unexpectedly, Marie and Shawn found themselves in the midst of a disaster relief mission. In addition to being a highly skilled surgeon, Marie is also a pretty decent hockey player, and a die-hard Montreal Canadienes fan. She is finishing her fellowship in Baltimore next month, and headed to Australia for yet more training in her chosen sub-specialty of pediatric orthopedics. In her own words....

"I am Canadian, born and raised in bilingual Montreal where there is a large and vibrant Haitian community. After hearing news of the earthquake, I felt helpless at the tragedy that was unfolding on televisions worldwide. Only to realize that I was heading to Dominican Republic on a pre-earthquake organized medical mission trip. Two weeks after the earthquake, I found myself in San Juan, DR working at one of the bordering hospitals, treating Haitian refugees. My experience was short and the help our small team provided was a drop of water in an ocean of need. I felt I had left prematurely and with much unfinished work. I often wonder what happened to my patients? Did they survive? Did they walk? Did they return to Haiti and if so what were their living conditions? The prospect of being able to return, with a bigger team, and the hope of doing more, is extremely invigorating. I approach this upcoming trip with much anticipation, but also with heightened awareness. No matter how much we contribute, I will likely remain humbled and wondering upon my return."

The rest of our PICU team...

Yesterday, we introduced Theresa Fagan, pediatric nurse practitioner. Today we are introducing the other half of the dynamic duo, Janie Ginsburg (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurse).

"Most of my nursing career has been in the Pediatric ICU.  I spent one year working with children in an army hospital in Germany.  Since the beginning of my career I have wanted to go on a humanitarian trip to an area where the need was great. This was the perfect place for me to start (many years late).  When not taking care of my kids at work, my husband and I take care of our 3 kids and our exchange student at home." 

- Janie Ginsburg

Theresa Fagan, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

I have been at Sinai as a Pediatric Critical Care Nurse Practitioner for 3.5 years.  Prior to that I was PNP in primary care for 2 years, and a PICU nurse for 5.5 years.  I have been on 3 medical missions to Ecuador with Ecuadent Foundation where I have worked in hospitals in Pasaje and Esmeraldas providing pre-op and post-op care to pediatric patients receiving surgeries such as cleft lip and palate repairs, scar revisions, and hernia repairs.  Ever since hearing about the earthquake and devastation in Haiti, I have wanted to go and offer whatever help and care I could provide, so I am thrilled to be able to travel with Team Sinai.  This photo was taken in Ecuador. (I'm the one on the right)