A Hemisphere United

(Excerpt from Chapter 2 – “Investing in People”)

Phoenix Rising

A somber ash blanketed the rubble of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A trail of ruin stretched from the beaches of France to the bombed out streets of a partitioned Berlin. Graphic evidence of the holocaust from Buchenwald, Auschwitz, and other concentration camps horrified the world during the Nuremberg Trials. The stark message was clear: In the 20th century, no country, not even a continent, is an island unto itself.

Such was the state of world immediately following the armistice that ended World War II. But there was cause for hope as a new spirit of international collaboration emerged from the ruins. On October 24, 1945, the United Nations charter was ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council, paving the way to early triumphs, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Arab States.

Against this backdrop, W.K. Kellogg’s proclamation, “I will invest my money in people,” took on a deeper meaning. Indeed, together with PAHO, the Kellogg Foundation supported a host of medical education programs that fostered positive change across international borders.
What started as a process of Latin American health professionals learning from their U.S. counterparts quickly became a conduit for mutual exchange. PAHO policy drove Latin America to forge ahead in the exploration of preventive and community medicine, educational technology, networking, and cost-effective practices.

Overriding this shared commitment to medical education was the goal to find solutions that fit Latin America, rising from the minds and resources of that region. Latin American doctors, educators, and health workers themselves would diagnose and treat their own health education systems.

But most of all, the PAHO-Kellogg Foundation partnership in medical education promoted the importance of learning to learn and teaching others so they can teach.

Stronger than the Sum of its Parts

Dr. Benjamin Horning, medical director for the Kellogg Foundation, played a large role in solidifying the organization’s nascent relationship with Latin America. From 1947 to 1957, he supervised the fellowship grant program, which made 456 grants to 242 physicians, 89 dentists, 70 nurses, 26 sanitary engineers, and 29 specialists in hospital administration and public health.

Demand for fellowships was high and competition was tough. Fellows had to be fluent in English and willing to return to their home countries after their fellowship. Plus, multiple interviews and recommendations went into the selection of every fellow. This painstaking process forged strong bonds that early participants referred to as a “partnership,” “a family relationship,” and even “a marriage.” Once selected, fellows not only had a chance to study at a U.S.-based university, but also enjoyed opportunities to visit top-rated medical institutions across the country.

The Kellogg Foundation also lavished attention on fellows’ home institutions, often giving them what was jokingly referred to as a “trousseau” of funding for lab equipment and learning materials.

Upon returning home, former fellows put their new skills to work. They became renowned professors, heads of departments, directors of educational establishments, deans, and ministers of health. For instance, former fellow Guillermo Soberon Acevedo, a biochemist known for his work on diabetes, now serves as executive president of the Mexican Health Foundation. And the Roberto Santos Hospital in Bahia, Brazil, is named for the physician who, after studying at Ann Arbor, Michigan, went on to run Bahia University’s medical school.

Study grants made through PAHO ran along a parallel track and strengthened the relationship between PAHO and the Kellogg Foundation. Grantees from both programs often teamed up to tackle major health problems in PAHO member countries, and informal exchanges of ideas helped bring advances in health throughout Latin America. Many former Kellogg Foundation grantees even joined PAHO’s staff or served the organization as consultants.
(Chapter continues.)