内心是一个第三文化的孩子, 山姆Powdrill, 硕士研究生, PA-C, associate professor of physician assistant studies at the UK 健康科学学院, has found himself practicing medicine in locations most people will never set foot in. 从非洲的丛林到印度的山脉——在莱克星顿的家中, Kentucky—he’s leaned into his 30 plus years abroad to educate and inspire the next generation of physician assistants.

“我的父母是传教士，我在印度长大, 所以我一生都在发展中国家生活,Powdrill说. “I have always wanted to do something with my life that would help others and would have a practical way of sharing Christ’s love with people. 这就是我最终进入医疗行业的原因.”

Powdrill will admit he took a bit of a roundabout journey to becoming a physician assistant (PA). He initially entered the medical field through the nursing route hoping to become a nurse practitioner. 几年过去了，Powdrill, 和他的家人一起, was crossing continents pursuing health care ministry as a nurse in both India and Honduras.

“当我们在洪都拉斯的时候，我参与了很多医疗护理工作. I was basically running a family practice/urgent care on a very rural island community off the coast他说。. “There was actually no doctor on the island, so I started dealing with all sorts of trauma cases. 那段时间我学到了很多关于创伤处理的知识.”

After a year in Honduras, Powdrill decided to seek out more education and training. 因为他当时31岁, he felt medical school was out of the question since most institutions did not accept candidates older than 30.

“我在国外工作时遇到了一位眼科医生, and he directed me to a program in London that was run by four ophthalmologists who had spent time working in the developing world,Powdrill说. “他们告诉我，他们可以帮助我积累经验，这样我就可以开始这个项目了. 这就是我所做的. I moved my family to England and started in eye care which was the last thing I ever thought I would be doing.”

完成课程后, Powdrill packed up his life again and moved to Africa where he spent 13 years serving as the coordinator for the Eye Unit at Tenwek Hospital—one of the most well-known mission teaching hospitals in Bomet, 肯尼亚. He and his wife played an integral role in the establishment and expansion of the hospital’s Eye Unit. 

在Tenwek, Powdrill’s main focus was developing low cost eye care services and eye surgery delivery to their largely unserved rural community. 今天, 十周眼科中心是约一百万人的主要眼科护理机构, providing inpatient and outpatient eye care services; eye surgery; training programs for volunteer eye health care workers, 居民, and clinical officers in ophthalmology; and mobile eye care outreach.

“While in 肯尼亚, the surgeons and ophthalmologists trained me in eye surgery,Powdrill说. “所以，我实际上是一名做眼科手术的护士. I had a long discussion with the 肯尼亚n government about getting the credentials needed to continue doing this type of work.  They said, ‘Go get your PA and then come back so we can put you on our eye surgical course.”’

Powdrill attained his PA degree in North Dakota and then returned 到肯尼亚 working at Tenwek Hospital until he moved back to the United States in 2004. After meeting another 健康科学学院 faculty member at a conference (Dr. David Fahringer), he was encouraged to apply for a teaching position with the college.

Powdrill现在已经在健康科学学院任教15年了. 他友好而亲切的举止, 几十年的智慧和经验, and passion to see his students succeed have made him a favorite in the Wethington building and across campus.

“我本质上是一名临床医生，我喜欢我教授的动手技能. I’ve taught the physical exam for years now including things like suturing, IV’s, etc.他说。. “Those moments when everything clicks and a student just gets it are what makes my day as an educator. 看我的学生磨练他们的实践技能, 把它们做好, 而且要准确, 这是我工作最棒的地方.”

In addition to teaching, Powdrill leads several education abroad opportunities each year. 从厄瓜多尔, 到肯尼亚, 及以后, he is dedicated to helping students gain cross-cultural skills and take initiative as practitioners.

当被问及他在这些旅行中最美好的回忆时, Powdrill笑了笑，回答说，几乎数不清了. 但, there are a few standouts such as the time he led students on a medical mission trip in Samburu, 肯尼亚是一个沙漠地区，农村和贫困都很严重.

“We were in a small town to do eye surgery and my students really rolled up their sleeves and tackled the challenges at hand他说。. “It was hot, it was dusty, and we did around fifty eye procedures in a church with no windows. 我们的静脉输液袋挂在天花板的椽子上. 我的学生学会了如何擦洗, 使用设备, 尽管条件恶劣，他还是热情地帮助我.”

Powdrill is slated to retire from the UK 健康科学学院 in January after 15 years of selfless and dedicated service in academia. He’s excited to pursue another calling in his life upon his retirement: developing a new lightweight microscope for travel practitioners and repurposing microscopes for use in medical settings that do not have access to cutting-edge technologies.

 “我仍然想继续做我的工作, 但是随着年龄的增长, you wonder how long you can keep your hands steady enough to work in a 2mm space under the cornea他说。. “我想尽可能长时间地经营下去, 我也想帮助那些长期在国外的人. 在非洲丛林工作了13年，做过外科手术, 我意识到确实需要更好的显微镜.”

Powdrill and a colleague in Michigan have since worked on a lightweight microscope that meets the 50 pound weight limit for plane baggage. 相比之下，大多数操作显微镜的重量在300-500磅之间. He has also developed a microscope that runs off of a 15-hour battery—ideal for medical environments where electricity is unreliable.

“这就是我想要的经营方式. I want to come along side and equip others so they can be self-sufficient他说。. “If I can repair an existing microscope or offer a solution that allows someone in another country to do the job then that’s more important than me coming in and doing the job for them.”