From the Brigham to the Bush: Carrying the Inspiration of Dr. Joseph E. Murray for Humanitarian Surgical Care to the World's "Bottom Billion"

Dr. Joseph Murray has inspired me, among many others, to develop medical and surgical care through thoughtful research and to see that the benefits achieved are applied to human needs in a greater global perspective. In active encouragement of his protegees, he has stimulated innovation not only in academic centers and in specialty fields such as transplantation and craniofacial reconstruction, but also in wide-scale benefit to all peoples in need, passing hope along through transformational learning and indigenizing health care skills. In an example from one such protegee, a career in academic surgical pursuit of learning beyond boundaries is illustrated in going from the Brigham to the bush, learning from those who may never have been in a schoolroom, and from our "mission to heal" carrying back "Gifts From the Poor."