The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / A Caring Hand from Across the Globe

A Caring Hand from Across the Globe

November 1, 2008 • By Sheri Polley

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

When Daniel Fohrman, MD, took a six-month sabbatical from his rheumatology practice in Bend, Oregon, last year, he decided to spend a portion of that time at a third-world clinic offering medical care to the indigent. While searching for a clinic in an area that was of geographic interest, relatively politically safe, and that truly had a medical need, he found that an organization called Rokpa Canada (www.rokpa.ca) was planning a trip to provide medical care at a clinic in Yushu, Tibet. Dr. Fohrman applied and was accepted to the group. He shared some of his experiences in Tibet—and some of his photographs from the trip—with The Rheumatologist.

You Might Also Like
  • Retired Rheumatologist Cruises the Globe
  • A Helping Hand for Arthritis Discovery
  • Give Rheumatology Patients a Helping Hand
Explore This Issue
November 2008
Also By This Author
  • On Board with Baby
Back: Dr. Fohrman; Sheila Rittenberg; Yangdzom; Penny Wilson, PT; Sean; Sue Elsworthy; Isaac Sobol, MD; Jon Awerbuck, MD; Susan Erdmann; Tse Chu; Ariel Bacharach; and Tony Wilson, MD. Front: Dawn Chisholm, OT; Tsotse; Dromi; Rosie Wilson, RN; Peter; Dana Bacharach. Not pictured: Roman Elinson, MD; Michael Dayan; Shenandoah Gills; and Antonella Guggenheim
Back: Dr. Fohrman; Sheila Rittenberg; Yangdzom; Penny Wilson, PT; Sean; Sue Elsworthy; Isaac Sobol, MD; Jon Awerbuck, MD; Susan Erdmann; Tse Chu; Ariel Bacharach; and Tony Wilson, MD. Front: Dawn Chisholm, OT; Tsotse; Dromi; Rosie Wilson, RN; Peter; Dana Bacharach. Not pictured: Roman Elinson, MD; Michael Dayan; Shenandoah Gills; and Antonella Guggenheim
The clinic in Yushu, Tibet.
The clinic in Yushu, Tibet.
Back: Yangdzom, Tsotse, Peter, and Betyi. Front: Sonam, Dromi, and Sean. Not pictured: Tenpa, Jigme, Tse Chu.
Back: Yangdzom, Tsotse, Peter, and Betyi. Front: Sonam, Dromi, and Sean. Not pictured: Tenpa, Jigme, Tse Chu.
The group organizing the pharmaceutical supplies.
The group organizing the pharmaceutical supplies.
A Tibetan woman learning to use a portable toilet.
A Tibetan woman learning to use a portable toilet.
Dr. Fohrman injecting a woman's arthritic knee.
Dr. Fohrman injecting a woman’s arthritic knee.
Tibetans waiting for clinic tickets.
Tibetans waiting for clinic tickets.
Tibetans with rheumatoid arthritis. Tibetans with rheumatoid arthritis.
Tibetans with rheumatoid arthritis.
Ariel Bacharach and a Tibetan girl who received one of the walkers he built.
Ariel Bacharach and a Tibetan girl who received one of the walkers he built.

Dr. Fohrman considers his trips to the third world to provide medical care to the indigent a very personally rewarding experience. But what makes these trips even more fulfilling, in his opinion, is sharing them. He took his two sons with him on previous such trips to Nepal and Thailand. His recent trip to Tibet included his partner’s two children—16-year-old Dana and 18-year-old Ariel. Dr. Fohrman states, “Watching them make a place for themselves, adapt to a strange environment, and find a way to contribute to the effort was a truly fulfilling experience. Each of them has come away deeply affected and changed. They have taken a whole new perspective as citizens of the world, and this alone has made the trips worthwhile for me personally.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The group included five doctors, a nurse, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a medical student from Scotland, a dentist, a professional cinematographer. Dr. Fohrman’s partner, Sheila Rittenberg, and her two children, Ariel and Dana Bacharach also joined the group.

The group was quartered in the school built by Rokpa for orphans and underprivileged children. The clinic is at the front of the school, and all medical care was provided out of that building.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Professional Topics, Profiles Tagged With: Rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatologist, sabbatical, Travel, Treatment, VolunteerIssue: November 2008

You Might Also Like:
  • Retired Rheumatologist Cruises the Globe
  • A Helping Hand for Arthritis Discovery
  • Give Rheumatology Patients a Helping Hand
  • Office Visit

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)