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Burkes lend a hand in China
Dr.
Bill Burke has been working to train
primary care physicians in China, but
after the earthquake this spring, he and
his wife provided aid of a more urgent
nature.
|
The Burkes with a local
mother and baby, whom Bill
had just treated for
mosquito bites. |
By Anita Martin
Nov.
6, 2008
Last
spring, Bill Burke, D.O. (’88),
associate professor of family medicine,
and his wife, Debbie Wenner Burke, were
planning a trip to China with the
humanitarian aid group Heart to Heart
International. She would work in a
school for the deaf and a senior center,
and he would continue his recent work
advising health professionals on issues
related to primary care medicine.
Then,
ten days before their departure, the May
12 earthquake struck the Sichuan
province.
The
earthquake killed tens of thousands of
people, injured hundreds of thousands
and left millions homeless. Upon
arriving, the Burkes, immediately went
to work, setting up tents for displaced
families and distributing food and
medical supplies. It was Bill’s third
trip to China—both previous trips also
focused on training primary care
physicians—and Debbie’s first.
“It’s
more amazingly devastated than I
imagined,” Debbie Burke told National
Public Radio’s Andrea Hsu, who
interviewed the couple during her
on-site report. “But I’ve also seen that
the spirit of the people is incredible.
These are really resilient people. There
are still strong families and still a
lot of smiles today.”
Bill
has since returned to China, twice, to
counsel physicians and health ministries
on primary care practices, medical
equipment and standards for training.
“I’m working with health professionals
to assist the country’s transformation
from a specialty-driven medical system
to one more focused on primary care,” he
says.
During
his most recent visit, in July, he
attended a two-day Chinese Medical
Doctor’s Association conference in
Nanjing, where he presented on family
practice residency training in the
United States. He was one of two
non-Chinese speakers.
These
efforts in training Chinese primary care
physicians receive support from the
American Osteopathic Foundation and the
American Osteopathic Association. Bill
says he eventually hopes to bring a
group of Chinese medical professionals
to Ohio to demonstrate primary care
education and training at OU-HCOM and the
Centers for Osteopathic Research and
Education.
Bill
also notes that his and Debbie’s
experience in May has sparked in them a
greater interest in relief work. “The
people we met were so warm and welcoming
and grateful. Because of that, we both
feel that we got more out of the
experience than we gave.”
Bill
Burke is an osteopathic family physician
with Doctors Hospital Family Practice
Center in Grove City, Ohio, where he
directs the Family Practice Residency.
He was president of the OU-HCOM Society
of Alumni and Friends from 1993-1995,
and he has served on the both Ohio
University Foundation Board of Trustees
and the American Osteopathic Association
House of Delegates. Debbie graduated in
1985 from the Russ College of
Engineering and Technology. She
currently serves on the Ohio University
Alumni Association Executive Committee
and is chair of the Russ College Board
of Visitors. |
