Nationality American Name Tom Catena | Role Physician | |
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Education Duke University, MD
Brown University Occupation Medical doctor, surgeon Institutions Mother of Mercy Hospital | ||
Interview with dr tom catena
Thomas (Tom) Catena is an American physician who has been practicing in Gidel in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan since 2008. On May 28, 2017 he was awarded the second annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, receiving a $100,000 grant and an additional one million dollars for him to distribute to three humanitarian organizations.
Contents
- Interview with dr tom catena
- Tom catena nff gold medal tribute and presentation
- Background
- Activities
- Personal
- Awards
- References
Tom catena nff gold medal tribute and presentation
Background
The region has been an area of active conflict since early 2011, and Catena is the only surgeon for the surrounding population of 750,000 people. Patients frequently travel by foot or hitchhiking for up to a week to reach the Mother of Mercy Hospital, where Catena practices. The hospital's catchment area covers roughly one third of South Kordofan, equivalent in size to the entire country of Austria. Patients visit the hospital for ailments varying from fractures, diarrhea, thyroid disease and cancer but also an increasing number of victims of bombing attacks or malnourishment spurred on by the war.
Activities
Humanitarian aid is restricted, a ban which Catena defies. Very few NGOs still operate due to the Khartoum government's blockade. Since 2012 aid is not expressly forbidden, but it is in practice impossible as volunteers may not travel into the region. German Emergency Doctors and Samaritan's Purse had a presence as of 2013, but employed no trained medical doctors in the region. Limited by his surroundings, Catena sometimes uses decades-old treatments, and earns $350 a month while being on call 24/7. He engages the local community in the work as nurses and other assistive personnel.
His hospital has at any one time between 300–350 in-patients, and was subject to bombings in May 2014, although at the time no one was injured. In preparation in case of bombings the compound now has a number of foxholes where patients and staff can flee for the duration.
Catena credits his Catholic faith for his work, and says he is inspired by St. Francis of Assisi. He is known by locals as "Dr. Tom" and is widely respected by the population. A local Muslim chief said of Catena, "He's Jesus Christ", owing to Catena constantly healing the sick, helping the lame walk, and making the blind see.
Personal
Catena played college football and was an undergrad at Brown University. He received his medical degree from Duke University. Before moving to Sudan he was a military doctor and also worked in Kenya, including in the slums of Nairobi. He has been likened to the 20th-century medical missionary Albert Schweitzer. The New York Times has published instructions on how to donate to Catena.