About Us
Our team believes the world would be a better place if healthcare were more broadly accessible.
OUR APPROACH
We’re here to make real change that impacts communities for generations.
Mission to Heal brings high quality education to local practitioners to make surgery in remote areas possible. We work alongside them using their existing equipment and supplies, and provide our state-of-the-art Mobile Surgical Units as the classroom.
While policymakers have shied away from making surgical care a priority because it’s expensive at the population level, we make it possible by equipping professionals in the place they call home.
Our Team
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Dr. Glenn Geelhoed is always striving to go further. Whether it’s running marathons (he’s completed more than 170 across the globe), going on hunts in deserted tundra, or bringing surgical education to the most remote regions of the world – he never stops at the extra mile.
Dr. Geelhoed is an accomplished surgeon, educator, and scholar. His decades of experience as a transplant surgeon have helped him in his goal to develop surgical services in underserved regions. After completing his undergraduate studies at Calvin College, Dr. Geelhoed graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed his surgical internship and residency through Harvard University at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and Boston Children’s Medical Center. He has additional master’s degrees in international affairs, health promotion and disease prevention, anthropology, and a philosophy degree in human sciences.
Dr. Geelhoed is currently a professor of surgery at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington D.C., and is a member of numerous medical, surgical, and international academic societies. As a widely published author, he has several books and more than 800 published journal articles to his name.
His lifelong career in medicine and education has been with the ongoing support of his two sons and five grandchildren, several of whom have joined their grandfather on missions around the globe.
Notable awards and appointments:
Humanitarian of the Year, GEORGE Magazine
Volunteerism Award for International Outreach, American College of Surgeons
Faculty Distinguished Service Award, George Washington University Medical School
Master Surgeon Educator, American College of Surgeons
Inductee, Academie de Chirugie de Paris
Past President, Washington Academy of Surgeons
Traveling Scholar, James IV Association of Surgeons
Senior Fullbright Scholar
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Samuel believes in the power of community health and the lasting impact of good, quality healthcare. As Director of Operations, Samuel leads the work done on the ground with our Mobile Surgical Units and connects with global partners to build relationships that are rooted in providing the best medical education to local practitioners.
Samuel first joined Mission to Heal as a volunteer in Ethiopia in 2019. He learned alongside Dr. Geelhoed and other medical professionals, and came back month after month to help improve the process of Mission to Heal’s programming. These experiences inspired him to pursue a Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis in Health Promotion. After completing his degree in April 2022, he rejoined the organization to lead its Operations Team and further the growth of the Mission to Heal’s programming.
Samuel is an avid cricket fan, Manchester United fan, and board gamer. He and his wife, Lilly, live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and love road tripping to visit family and friends around the country.