Where Faith Becomes Practice, and Gratitude Finds Its Purpose

When we say “thank you” this season, our faculty have chosen to say it with their hands. In operating rooms, some without air-conditioning, in pre-op bays buzzing with translators and nurses, and in clinics where patients travel 10–15 hours by bus for a chance to be seen, they’ve been living out gratitude—one hug, one suture, one life-changing surgery at a time.

This year, several of our surgeons joined Faith In Practice (FIP) in Guatemala. This well-established, organized, faith-based medical mission provides comprehensive care to people who would otherwise lack access to it. Their stories, and the patients behind them, are why we’re inviting you to join the work.

“Hooked after the first trip”: Eric F. Berkman, MD

For Eric Berkman, MD, the call started at home. “My wife, Abigail, began the involvement and became a board member. She asked me to join her on a trip after her first one. I was hooked after the first trip and haven’t missed a year yet.”

He and Abigail serve side-by-side—he in the OR, she fitting wheelchairs and keeping the mission moving. Years of local service at Casa Juan Diego in Houston primed them for the leap abroad; later, work with Kenneth Mathis, MD, in El Salvador broadened the scope. “This program was mature, well-funded, and faith-based. It’s not my faith, but I love to show support to my wife and to my friend and colleague, Brian Parsley, MD, who asked me to help yearly.”

The work is personal and unforgettable.

Berkman still smiles, telling the story of a 75-year-old patient who proudly called himself “Chuck Norris.” “The morning after his total knee replacement, he showed us a karate kick with his new knee and asked if he could go to work that day!” That joy is not rare in Antigua; it’s contagious.

Berkman’s team spends months planning, including recruiting surgeons, anesthesiologists, OR and PACU nurses, surgical technicians, interpreters, and even bloggers; organizing charity luncheons and galas; and packing 15–25 trunks with donated implants and supplies. “Zimmer Biomet and Arthrex are huge supporters,” he notes. Next year, he and Abigail hope to field 45–50 volunteers, and in 2026, they’ll lead a team of their own.

“The Guatemalan people are some of the most grateful I’ve ever met. We don’t have the cutting-edge equipment down there. Still, we see fantastically successful outcomes—and I come home more empathetic, grounded, and fulfilled” — Eric Berkman, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

“Still in love with what I do”: William H. Harvin, MD

Colleague Jack Dawson recruited William (Billy) Harvin, MD, at BCM to address a noticeable need: trauma. “For years, trauma needs have been underserved in Guatemala. Most FIP teams focused on joint replacement.” With family who’ve served FIP for decades, the mission already ran in his veins.

Harvin has made five to six trips, now in leadership alongside Robert Holmes (former UTHealth Houston Adult Reconstruction fellow) and David Rodriguez-Quintana, MD. The scale is humbling: “We recruit surgeons, anesthesiologists, residents/fellows, nurses, scrub techs, PTs, translators—then solicit donations for team expenses and procure OR packs, drugs, implants, equipment.”

This year’s outcomes tell the story: 42 total knees, 22 hip replacements, 10 foot & ankle cases, and 13 trauma cases.

One patient lived two years with a neglected upper tibia fracture and nonunion. Harvin removed the failed hardware, debrided the nonunion, plated and grafted the tibia, paving the way for a total knee next year. “He and his family were so grateful, always smiling. In the U.S., expectations can be different. After Guatemala, I stress less about ‘over-the-top’ demands. These patients wait years. Their gratitude resets your compass.”

“Get involved. It’s rewarding. It grounds you. You get back to the basics of why you chose medicine.” — William Harvin, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

“Will never stop coming back”: David Rodriguez-Quintana, MD

David Rodriguez-Quintana, MD, first served with FIP in 2015 as a fellow. A mentor opened the door, and he walked through—seven trips later, he’s a stalwart. He focuses on complex hip arthroplasty: dysplasia, post-traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid disease, and failed implants—common in regions where access to proper implants and follow-up is limited.

This year, he’ll never forget Ingrid, living with polio since childhood and a severe knee deformity. The team reconstructed her knee with a hinged implant generously donated by Zimmer Biomet. “You’re outside your comfort zone,” he says. “But serving with colleagues like Harvin and McGarvey deepens bonds in ways that last a lifetime.”

“Just come once—you won’t regret it.” — David Rodriguez-Quintana, MD, associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

“Life-changing—for them and for us”: William C. McGarvey, MD

Over 20 years ago, William McGarvey, MD, answered Brian Parsley’s call to address the significant foot and ankle needs he’d seen in Guatemala. Early experiences in South America had already left a mark: “Working with less fortunate people—and seeing how they receive healthcare—gave me motivation to serve when given the opportunity.”

The logistics have grown enormously. What began as “one meeting and a handful of people” is now a finely tuned operation coordinating personnel, shipments of instruments and implants, and suitcases stuffed with supplies for every contingency. With limited resources, ingenuity becomes a clinical skill. “Sterile technique varies. ORs may lack climate control. You have to be flexible, patient, resourceful—an innovative craftsman—and very good at building a high-functioning team with people you’ve just met.”

His patient stories read like parables of resilience. A 12-year-old girl traveled 12 hours, speaking a mountain dialect that required two interpreters to translate her words. She couldn’t place her foot flat on the ground since age three. After several hours of surgery, she woke up smiling—still gracious, still brave. “Perspective like that changes you,” he says. “You come back a better clinician, and quite frankly, a more compassionate human.”

“If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. If you teach him to fish, he eats for a lifetime. Building local capacity is the next horizon.” — William McGarvey, MD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

What It Takes—and Why It’s Worth It

• Months of planning. Recruiting 45–50 volunteers across specialties; coordinating with FIP domestically and in Guatemala; fundraising through luncheons, galas, and social media.
• Mountains of supplies. OR packs, implants, antibiotics, retractors, and bone graft sets—often shipped in containers and securely warehoused in Antigua; traveling teams hand-carry 15–25 trunks of donated equipment.
• Creative medicine. Without “all the bells and whistles,” surgeons draw on judgment, teamwork, and craft to deliver safe, meaningful care.
• Transformative outcomes. From hinged knees to complex hips to trauma reconstruction, patients return to work, to walking, to life—with gratitude that overflows.

And perhaps the most unexpected gift: each other. Time away from home is hard. However, serving together deepens friendships, sharpens communication, and reminds us why we chose to pursue a career in medicine. As Berkman puts it, “It’s part of my fabric now.”

How You Can Join the Work

• Volunteer. If you’ve ever thought about it, don’t put it off another year. Physicians, nurses, techs, therapists, interpreters, logistics pros—there’s a place for you.
  • Learn more: faithinpractice.org
  • Connect directly: Ask our faculty or visit BerkmanMD.com for stories, videos, and information on how to get involved.
• Donate. Your gifts enable implants in operating rooms, antibiotics in the hands of healthcare professionals, and patients to get back on their feet.
• Advocate. Share this story. Invite colleagues. Help us recruit next year’s team of 45–50 volunteers.

This Thanksgiving, gratitude is more than a word. It’s our sleeves rolled up, our trunks packed, and our hearts wide open. Come with us to Antigua. Meet the patients who wait with hope. See how a week can change a life—including yours.

 

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