Andrew C. Trecartin ’11 joined the East Tennessee State University Health pediatric surgery team in July 2024. In addition to serving as faculty, he will split half of his time in Chad, Africa, along with his wife, Megan (Smith) Trecartin ’15. They will serve at the Béré Adventist Hospital, where they previously served from 2019–2022, joining surgeons Stephen Waterbrook ’04 and Laurel Guthrie ’16 and family physician Staci Davenport ’14.

“The Lancet put Chad in the category of countries where over 90% of the population has no access to safe surgical care. The ever- increasing stream of surgical emergencies on our doorstep makes our team the deciding factor between life and death,” Andrew Trecartin said. Currently the team trains select Chadian PGY-1 students in surgery, and they are working with the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) to develop their first formal training program in Chad.

“We are grateful to the Alumni for their generous support and for many who have personally visited Béré Adventist Hospital. Thank you for sharing your expertise, and we continue to welcome volunteers!” Andrew Trecartin said.

Published in the Fall/Winter 2024 ALUMNI JOURNAL