The Greater Washington Society of Anesthesiology, (GWSA) is a non-profit humanitarian organization composed primarily of African American anesthesiologists in the Washington/Baltimore area. The GWSA has educational, economic and international divisions. ProHealth International is a Christian humanitarian medical organization which is based in Jos, Nigeria and provides free medical projects to underserved populations throughout the African continent. In 1999, members of the GWSA were introduced to ProHealth International by Dr. Tony Udo-Ingyang (OB/GYN, Detroit) and Dr. Womack Stokes (OB/GYN, Cleveland Clinic). The two organizations found that they had common goals regarding the improvement of medical care in Africa and complementary skill sets. As a result the GWSA joined ProHealth International on a medical project in the village of Ikot Abia, Nigeria in 1999. During this medical project over 2,000 patients received medical and operative medical care over the course of a two-week period and a long lasting collaborative relationship was born.

Over the next few years numerous American physicians, nurses and non-medical volunteers joined the GWSA for the specific purpose of participating in one of the ProHealth International medical missions in Africa. However most of these health care professionals were not actually anesthesiologists and most were not from the Greater Washington area. These dedicated volunteers felt that the organization would havegreater impact if it defined itself from a broader medical point of view and was open to more diverse leadership both geographically and professionally.

As a result of this John B. Sampson MD, Robert Satcher MD, PhD, Derick Butler MD, Celia Hightower RN and Sade Domingo created the Doctors for United Medical Missions (DrUMM) organization to take this role.

Since its creation DrUMM has worked with many different volunteer organizations for the purpose of contributing to and oftentimes organizing medical projects to Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Eritrea. Volunteers of DrUMM find the experience to be valuable and unique because of the organization’s general approach of working with indigenous health care professionals in the host country and respecting African culture, knowledge and values.

Thus far DrUMM has collaborated with ProHealth International, Health Volunteers Overseas, Physicians for Peace, The Association of Scientists and Physicians of African Descent and The Mercey Foundation. Members of DrUMM have provided presentations and discussions related to DrUMM to The National Medical Association, Pan-African Health Conference, Johns Hopkins University, Howard University Hospital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, The Harford County Rotary International Club, The Society of Black Academic Surgeons and numerous churches.