On February 27, Palm Beach Atlantic University’s (PBA) Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy (GSOP), in partnership with the Gregory Center for Medical Missions (GCMM), hosted alumna Dr. Hannah Morris as their Annual Missions Forum speaker.
GCMM supports students and pharmacists in medical missions both domestically and internationally, providing numerous opportunities and resources for students to serve. This forum is another way they encourage missions, as they invite an expert in the field to bring voice to the vocation pharmacists may find.
The Forum
The forum included a brief introduction by GSOP Dean Dr. Dana Strachan, outlining Morris’s educational accomplishments along with her commitment to the missions’ field. This was followed by Morris’s own presentation of the various projects and humanitarian aid that she has contributed to.
Morris’s work in international missions began in Sudan, where she facilitated bringing an abandoned medical center back to functioning capacity. Morris and her team spent seven months providing health care to a small, isolated village. Not only did they share physical aid, but they also provided resources on proper techniques for food preparation and hygiene.
Later, she worked in Syria at internally displaced persons camps for individuals affected by ISIS. The camps had a large presence of children dealing with cerebral palsy, prompting the team to bring in a specialist who instructed parents on how to assist their children.
Her journey continued to an emergency field hospital in Lviv, Ukraine. There she gave aid to Ukrainian refugees enroute to Poland, trying to escape the ongoing war. After this, Morris provided earthquake relief in Turkey, and she continues to be involved in missions work today.
Conflict in the Field
During her presentation, Morris expressed many of the conflicts she faced while serving in the field. In countries like Sudan and Syria, not only were difficulties presented because of the unfamiliar climate and lack of modern technology, but because of the cultural divide between her team and their patients.
On top of this, she also experienced terrorism. Her clinic in Syria had been attacked by a suicide bomber, and while none of her team was injured, some of their patients were killed.
“It is hard because I get to leave, but this is their reality every day,” she said.
While in Ukraine their facility had to be evacuated when Russia acquired their location and sent rockets to decimate the field hospital. Morris noted, however, that the Christian faith is still alive and emboldened in Ukraine.
“Truly the Lord is working there,” she said. “God wastes nothing, so I think, even though people are truly suffering, the gospel is going forward in a tremendous way that it couldn’t otherwise.”
Where She is Now
Morris currently works with Operation Blessing as a health technical specialist in Latin America and Africa, overseeing 120 health projects across 10 countries. This position allows her to go on more than a few trips a year while remaining domestically based.
Learn more about PBA’s upcoming events at https://www.pba.edu/events/.
