In 2019, Dr Jennifer and Robert Erdin decided it was time to step away from a busy private orthopedic practice. Together, they were ready to find a new direction for their medical training.

In late 2019, the Erdins made their second trip to Moshi, Tanzania and went to work at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center. The hospital there hosts an orthopedic training residency program. The maiden volunteer trip was eye-opening and gave them new focus

The pandemic hits

In mid 2020, the pandemic lockdown was in full swing. Dr Matt Braswell was entering his third year of orthopedic residency but the closed doors and masks did not fit his vision of global health. During a zoom grand rounds meeting, Dr Braswell and Dr Erdin were introduced and they began a brainstorm on global education in those strange times. Together, they started an internet based teaching series with the resident at KCMC. Over time, the lectures expanded to all fields of orthopedics and included lab and practical sessions. Groundwork was being laid.

The doors reopen

Finally, the world began to reopen its borders. In February 2023, Drs Erdin, Braswell, Marenghi, Casey, and Halvorson were able to travel to KCMC. The trip was a successful first return to medical teaching abroad. The surgeon educators were amazed by the volume of need and the unfortunate economic realities that prevented urgent care. The economies of surgery trickled down onto the the volume of teaching. How could the time abroad be used for more efficient teaching and care?

SOAP is born

Even after the return to the comforts of home, the discussions continued. Other volunteer surgeons expressed similar frustrations. Their valuable teaching time was being eroded by the inability to get the injured to the operating room. Friends and colleagues expressed a desire to help, but at the same time acknowledged their own schedules prevent travel. Drs. Erdin determined to work to remove some of the economic limitations. SOAP – Surgeries Overseas Assistance Program – was created to provide economic assistance to those in need at these resource-limited hospitals while at the same time helping increase the volume of teaching opportunities for the traveling surgeons. Together, we can make a long-term difference for many while making a short term difference for individuals in need.

Thank you for your interest in SOAP.

Updated May 2023