The missionary label
Loma Linda graduates serve abroad in Guam mission clinics
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| Members of the Guam Seventh-day Adventist Clinic and Wellness Center pose for a group picture during Christmas last year. |
God has chosen to reveal Himself not only through His Word, but through our fellow Christians. The influence of godly teachers extends onward and outward. What a joy to know and share Him whom to know is life eternal," writes Robert R. Wresch, MD, a 1969 graduate of the School of Medicine. Dr. Wresch is director of the eye clinic at Guam Seventh-day Adventist Clinic and Wellness Center.
"Since 1990, we have served at Guam Adventist Clinic, amid fellow
professionals who love to aid healing, both physical and spiritual. It is a
special privilege for me to wear the missionary label," he continues.
Dr. Wresch is one of several LLU graduates who have chosen to serve at the clinic in Guam.
According to Donald Weidemann, clinic administrator, the clinic is a modern multi-specialty medical and dental unit, with standards of professional care corresponding to those of similar groups in the United States.
Both the clinic and the wellness center serve a population of approximately 160,000, about 140,000 of whom are in the primary service area.
"We are so very pleased and fortunate to be the beneficiaries of graduates of Loma Linda University in our medical, dental, and eye departments. Throughout the region LLU alumni are known not only for their clinical excellence, but for the compassion they demonstrate. Our clinic, thanks to our professional and support staff, is known as a place where patients are treated like people and not numbers," says Mr. Weidemann.
"Loma Linda University and Loma Linda University Medical Center play an even greater role in the support of our clinic--as well as the medical missionary work within our division--than just sending outstanding doctors, dentists, preventionists, hygienists, nurses, and physical therapists," he continues. "The University and Medical Center assist us with recruiting, and have provided key executives and clinicians for training at our division-wide meetings.
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| Not to be outdone, the dental clinic staff at Guam Adventist Clinic also pose for a group picture during Christmas last year. |
"All of us highly value the support and encouragement that LLU provides to us who are beyond the shores of our homeland. We rely on LLU's goodwill and support in so many tangible and intangible ways," adds Mr. Weidemann.
Wayne E. Ward, DDS, a 1990 graduate of the School of Dentistry, also works in the Adventist dental clinic in Guam. He is one of several LLU graduates in Guam who have a special "hobby." Throughout the year, Dr. Ward spends a few weeks among the outer islands providing dental care and education to the local people.
"I enjoy the work here in Guam, and the opportunity it provides for mission trips to the other islands of Micronesia," writes Dr. Ward. "I have been most active in the outer islands of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. Guam also serves as a great starting place for travel to Asia and the Pacific Islands, and travel and photography have become a couple of my favorite hobbies."
Dr. Ward has also taken School of Dentistry students on short-term mission trips to Fadrai and Mogmog, two islands located in the Ulithi Atoll.
"This has been the hardest place for dental hygiene I have ever experienced, because the gum disease is rampant. We thank God for the opportunity to serve here and hope to continue for several more years," states Jolene Shidler Brecht, RDH, a 1970 graduate of the School of Dentistry.
Scott R. Von Bergen, DDS, a 1995 School of Dentistry graduate, is director of the Adventist dental clinic in Guam. Dr. Von Bergen has also been involved in short-term mission trips to the islands that surround Guam and is excited about the possibilities for more involvement in the smaller communities.
"The opportunities we've been given to help meet dental, physical, and spiritual needs on the islands of Kosrae and Fefan have been extremely rewarding," says Dr. Von Bergen. "God has blessed us and we always come away feeling we gained more than we gave. We are blessed by frequent reminders of God's love and creative power while in and around the beautiful warm waters surrounding our island. Maranatha!"
The following is a current list of Loma Linda University graduates who serve at the Guam Seventh-day Adventist Clinic and Wellness Center: Brian E. Bates, MD (Medicine, 1986), general surgery; Jolene Shidler Brecht, RDH (Dentistry, 1970), dental clinic; Phyllis E. Collins, RN (Nursing, 1980), nurse practitioner; Samuel A. Daniyan, MD (Medicine 1979-B), MPH, pediatrics; Pauline Dietrich Davis, RDH (Dentistry, 1965), dental clinic; Thomas B. Davis, MPH (Public Health, 1978), physical therapy; Bevan A. Geslani, MD (MC resident, 1987), internal medicine, and medical director; Eric E. Haeger, MD (Medicine, 1995), family practice; Michelle Stout Haeger, RN (Nursing, 1995), nurse practitioner; Keith M. Horinouchi, DrPH (Public Health, 1982), preventive care specialist; Andrew K. Kim, DDS (Dentistry, 1994), dental clinic; Sung Jin Kim, MD (Medicine, 1995), internal medicine; Tony L. Lloyd, MD (Medicine, 1996), family practice; Neil F. Lovitt, MPH (Public Health, 1975), family practice; Myron C. Mariano, MD (Medicine, 1992), general surgery; Lee H. Meadows, MD (Medicine, 1982), MA, family practice; James K. Nozaki, MD (Medicine, 1995), family practice; Joseph N. Nozaki, MD (Medicine, 1957), MS, general surgeon; Eric E. R. Oakley, DDS (Dentistry, 1995, 1998), dental clinic; Stanley E. Ramley, DDS (Dentistry, 1986), dental clinic; Michael J. Robinson, MD (Medicine, 1995), family practice; Wayne E. Smith, MD (Medicine, 1984), anesthesiology; William P. Vercio, MD (Medicine, 1981), obstetrics and gynecology; Scott R. Von Bergen, DDS (Dentistry, 1995), dental clinic director; Wayne E. Ward, DDS (Dentistry, 1990), dental clinic; Albert Sidney Whiting Jr., MD (Medicine, 1986), eye clinic; Liana R. Wolfe, DDS (Dentistry, 1990), dental clinic; Robert R. Wresch, MD (Medicine, 1969), eye clinic director; and Wesley S. Youngberg, MPH, DHSc (Public Health, 1988), preventive care specialist.
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