Dear Friends of SOAP—
Happy Giving Tuesday!
We hope that you and your loved ones have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and shared treasured moments together!
Our Giving Tuesday Ask
We know that you have many worthy nonprofits asking for your support this Giving Tuesday. If you have room in your charitable giving to support SOAP by sponsoring a patient’s surgery (or two or three!), that would be wonderful! However, if your charitable funds are already earmarked, we do hope that you will follow along with SOAP as we work to enhance orthopedic knowledge and techniques among young surgeons, while improving patient access to care.
SOAP Is Excitedly Planning Our Next Trip to Tanzania for February 2025!
So many of you have asked about the makeup of our team— We thought we would take a moment to introduce everyone to you, starting with the new faces. (SOAP will, again, sponsor surgeries and equipment for patients in need, but, of course, not a single SOAP penny will go towards physician travel or living expenses.) We are again fortunate to have two senior US residents join Bobby and me for the full four weeks. In addition, we will have 4 orthopedic specialists rotating through for one week each. And, now, (drumroll, please…) introducing….
Dr. Virgenal Owens
Dr. Owens is a Chief Orthopedic Resident with Atrium Health in Charlotte. His special interest in Spine Orthopedics will be a valuable asset to our team. Dr. Virg is half of another special medical team— his wife is an Emergency Medicine doctor! He enjoys playing basketball, spoken word poetry, playing video games, eating at new restaurants (we can definitely accommodate that in Tanzania!), and good naps (unfortunately, those will be in short supply while at KCMC!). An avid traveler, Dr. Virg is quick to jump on an available plane and can’t wait to add the “Tanzania” stamp to his passport!
Undergrad— Mercer University
Med School— Medical College of Georgia
Fellowship for 2025— Spine Ortho at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Dr. Ameen Barghi
Dr. Barghi is a Chief Orthopedic Resident at Wake Forest University, who also has a special interest in Spine Orthopedics. Dr. Ameen has a wide variety of interests while outside the hospital stretching from the artistic (acrylic painting, salsa dancing and going to music festivals) to the cerebral (engaging in meditation and mindfulness activities) to the academic (he is learning Spanish!). Fortuitously, another activity that Dr. Ameen enjoys is hot yoga— Tanzania will definitely be able to provide the hot environment for his practice! We are happy to have him join the team!
Undergrad— University of Alabama at Birmingham
Med School— Harvard Medical School
Fellowship for 2025— Spine Ortho at the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, Philadelphia
Dr. Jeff Baker
Dr. Baker is joining SOAP for his inaugural trip and we couldn’t be happier! His expertise in Spine and Hand Orthopedics will be a welcome addition to our team! While Stateside, Dr. Jeff’s orthopedic skills are put to valuable use taking care of our Veterans at the VA Hospital in Salisbury, NC. He grew up in Upstate New York, but has been perfecting his “y’all” in North Carolina for the last 25 years. He was in solo private practice for 16 years before joining the VA Hospital 8 years ago. He and his wife, Kimberly, are proud parents to two daughters, Andie Rae and Emily and two lucky dogs, Frankie and Taco. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Jeff loves hunting, fishing, farming and boating. Luckily for our SOAP team, he also loves to cook! Maybe his next SOAP title will be Chef Dr. Jeff!
Undergrad— Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA
Medical School— SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
Ortho Residency—SUNY Upstate Medical University Syracuse, NY
Fellowships— Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship: University of Florida – Gainesville FL
Spine Fellowship: North Carolina Spine Center at Chapel Hill, NC
Dr. David Weiss
Dr. Weiss is the Director of Orthopedic Trauma at the University of Virginia, a position he loves because he gets to teach both residents and medical students, while taking care of his trauma patients (and he and his wife, Nicole, also love supporting the Cavaliers!). As there is no shortage of trauma at KCMC– from motorbike accidents, falls, even encounters with elephants and lions— we are excited that he will be with us! Likewise, Dr. David is excited to return to Africa— He lived in the Ivory Coast for 2 years as a young child in the 1970’s while his father worked for the Peace Corps administration and his mother was a nurse at the American Embassy! Welcome back, Dr. David— Africa is happy to see you again!
Undergrad— Johns Hopkins University
Med School— Georgetown
Ortho Residency— University of Michigan
Trauma Fellowship— Harborview Medical Center, Seattle
Dr. Ginny Casey
Returning for her third trip to KCMC is Dr. Casey! She specializes in pediatric orthopedics, a much needed area of instruction in Tanzania. She has a gift for teaching surgical planning, and the KCMC residents literally soak it up! They are already scouting for children with orthopedic deformities for her to see in February. A 4th generation surgeon with a passion for teaching, Dr. Casey is following in the footsteps of her father. He was an OB/GYN who traveled the world, teaching and developing long standing relationships with other OB/GYN doctors in locations such as Bangladesh, ex Soviet Georgia and Kazakhstan— An exact alignment with SOAP’s mission! Dr. Casey strives to contribute positively to the teaching of pediatric orthopedics globally, as her father did for OB/GYN. She is also working to instill this desire in her children— Currently 2/3 of them are planning on being surgeons! Dr. Casey’s oldest is in the application process for med school and he will join her in Tanzania in February!
Undergrad— UNC Chapel Hill
Medical School— University of Oklahoma
Ortho Residency— University of Utah
Pediatric Ortho Fellowship- Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Dr. Jason Halvorson
Also back by popular demand is Dr. Halvorson! This will be his third trip to Tanzania, and the KCMC Residents can’t wait! As an experienced educator with a passion for overseas work, Dr. Jason serves as the Ortho Residency Program Director at Wake Forest and is also affiliated with the Office of Global Health. He is the proud father of 3—Logan, Callum and Bo— and husband to Elizabeth (AKA— Dr. Elizabeth Halvorson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Wake Forest and Assistant Residency Program Director)— Yet another family resting solidly on the principles of medical service, teaching, and outreach! Not to be left out, there are also 3 dogs, 2 cats, a turtle, and a bearded dragon that think of Dr. Jason as their Viking Father (he is from Minnesota, after all!). And, for the secret of the day— while Dr. Jason’s appearance reflects his love of Metallica, he is also a closet Swiftie!
Undergrad— Notre Dame (he can’t help but saying, “Go Irish!”)
Medical School— Vanderbilt
Ortho Residency— Wake Forest
Trauma Fellowship— Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC
Dr. Bobby Erdin
2025 will mark Dr. Bobby’s 4th visit to KCMC and his 5th to Tanzania! It is his dedication to orthopedic education, patient care, and the beauty of “teach a man to fish” that brought SOAP into creation. His talent for teaching is remarkable— he has a gift for breaking down complex concepts in ways that are both interesting and memorable. Beyond medicine, Dr. Bobby spends as much time as possible playing video games with his awesome sons, Alex and Chase (who are both at NC State). As the green thumb in his marriage, he is also in charge of gardening and keeping all plant life alive.
Undergrad— Duke
Med School— Medical College of Georgia
Ortho Residency— Campbell Clinic, Univ. of Tennessee, Memphis
Foot and Ankle Fellowship— Campbell Clinic, Memphis
Dr. Jennifer Erdin
“Mama Jen” will also be returning for her 4th KCMC visit and 5th time in Tanzania. As a retired pediatrician, she has little to offer with respect to orthopedic skills, but does her very best to make up for it by being the “glue that binds,” serving as Team Mom, Hospital Liaison, Secretary, Accountant, Grocery Shopper, Chef, Assistant Vicious Ant Fighter, Flower Picker, and Locator of Needed Things. She is also a devoted follower of Alex and Chase, from whatever country she finds herself in!
Undergrad— Georgia Southern
Med School— Medical College of Georgia
Pediatric Residency—LeBonheur/St. Jude, Univ. of Tennessee, Memphis
Thank You!
SOAP is so grateful to have your interest and support! Even if you are not able to donate at this time, please follow SOAP’s work — celebrate our triumphs, commiserate with our speed bumps, share our mission with others, and send us prayers and Godspeed on our journey.
With love and gratitude to you all,
Jen
Executive Director, SOAP
SOAP Board of Directors—
Bobby Erdin, Chair
Matt Braswell
Ginny Casey
Jonathan Faggart, Vice Chair
Jason Halvorson
Natalie Marenghi