In Turkey, Ukraine, and Beyond, the Necessity of Trauma Care

February 20, 2023

(STAT New) – A dozen years ago, as a young doctor with a background in emergency medicine, I felt prepared to handle disaster response situations. But I was totally unprepared for the constant exposure to widespread suffering and death that I experienced while providing emergency medical relief after the 2010 earthquake that killed 220,000 people in Haiti.

I arrived in Haiti a few days after the earthquake and worked there for only three weeks. But after returning home to New Orleans, I was an emotional wreck. I cried all the time. Once I made an appointment to see a psychiatrist and began therapy, I felt an enormous weight lift from me. I recovered quickly after that. (Read More)