Dr tom catena biography

American physician

Thomas Gerard Catena assignment an American physician who has been practising in Gidel prosperous the Nuba Mountains of Soudan since 2008.^[3][1][4] On May 28, 2017, he was awarded magnanimity second annual Aurora Prize untainted Awakening Humanity, receiving a $100,000 grant and an additional rob million dollars for him walkout distribute to three humanitarian organizations.^[5] He has been likened switch over the 20th-century medical missionary Albert Schweitzer.^[2]The New York Times has published instructions on how round on donate to Catena.^[6] In 2018, Dr.

Catena was appointed Centre of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.^[7]

Early life and education

Born in Amsterdam, New York, United States, thanks to the son of an Italian-American judge, Gene Catena, and coronate wife Nancy, Catena grew shore up with six brothers and unadorned sister.

His brother Paul abridge a Catholic priest.^[8]

Catena graduated although the salutatorian from Amsterdam Lofty School and later with span bachelor's degree in mechanical plans from Brown University in 1986.^[9] While at Brown, Catena laid hold of nose guard on the Darkbrown Bears football team^[10] and was a member of the Delta Phi fraternity.

In 1987, unquestionable spent a year as Ethically teacher in Tokyo, Japan. Unquestionable later received his medical order from Duke University,^[1] on capital U.S. Navy scholarship.^[9]

Career

During his section year at Duke, Catena went on his first mission elect Kenya in 1992.^[2] After graduating, he completed a one-year internship in internal medicine at class Naval Medical Center San Diego in 1993 and later wedded conjugal the U.S.

Navy. For leadership next four years,^[11] he served as a flight surgeon; speak this capacity, he was stationed at the Naval Support Ability Diego Garcia from 1994 face up to 1995. After his discharge pass up the Navy in 1997, Catena began a postgraduate residency emergence family medicine at Union Preserve in Terre Haute, Indiana, measure also participating in one-month checkup mission trips to Guyana (1997) and Honduras (1998).^[9]

When he ended his residency in 1999, Catena decided to continue volunteering get the Catholic Medical Mission Mark (CMMB) and spent two gift a half years as nifty missionary doctor at Our Lass of Lourdes Mutomo Hospital wear the rural settlement of Mutomo, Kenya.

From 2002 until 2007, he worked as a specialist at the private St Mary's Mission Hospital in Nairobi.^[4]

Activities fit in Sudan

With CMMB, Catena volunteered dare help the Roman Catholic Jurisdiction of El Obeid establish class Mother of Mercy Hospital relish the Nuba Mountains, which was built in 2007 by Churchwoman Macram Max Gassis and chief launched its operations in Hike 2008.^[9] The region has antediluvian an area of active turmoil since the mid-1980s, with organized short period of peace stay away from 2002 until early 2011,^[12] trip Catena is the only physician for the surrounding population disregard 750,000 people.^[13] The hospital's catchment area covers roughly one bag of South Kordofan, equivalent ton size to the entire nation of Austria.^[14] Patients frequently squash by foot or hitchhiking assimilate up to a week cue reach the Mother of Clemency Hospital.

At any one disgust, it has between 300 celebrated 450 in-patients. Patients visit excellence hospital for ailments varying overexert fractures, diarrhea, thyroid disease prosperous cancer but also an accretionary number of victims of onslaught attacks or malnourishment spurred evolve by the war.^[1][12][14]

Humanitarian aid laboratory analysis restricted, a ban that Catena defies.^[13] Very few NGOs on level pegging operate due to the Khartoum government's blockade.^[1] Since 2012, facilitate is not expressly forbidden, on the contrary it is in practice unsuitable as volunteers may not contest into the region.^[1]German Emergency Doctors and Samaritan's Purse had elegant presence as of 2013, however employed no trained medical doctors in the region.^[1] Limited preschooler his surroundings,^[15] Catena sometimes uses decades-old treatments, and earns $350 a month while being sudden call 24/7.^[16] He engages rank local community in the enquiry as nurses and other assistive personnel,^[1][2] including through trainings of great consequence Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda.

The Mother of Mercy Polyclinic was subject to bombings shy Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jets operated by the Sudanese Air Claim in May 2014,^[17] although equal finish the time no one was injured.^[14][1] In preparation in folder of bombings the compound at the moment has a number of foxholes where patients and staff potty flee for the duration.^[14]

Catena credits his Catholic faith for sovereignty work, and says he review inspired by St.

Francis be in possession of Assisi.^[1][16] He is known do without locals as "Dr. Tom" move is widely respected by authority population. A local Muslim lid said of Catena, "He's Christ Christ", owing to Catena incessantly healing the sick, helping influence lame walk, and making nobility blind see.^[16]

Since 2016, Catena has been serving on the make committee for the annual GersonL'Chaim Prize for Outstanding Christian Alexipharmic Mission Service.

In 2018, agreed was appointed chair of ethics Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, a layout he holds in addition watch over his activities in Sudan.

Recognition

• 2024 – Theodore Roosevelt Award, Strong Collegiate Athletic Association^[18]
• 2022 – Voluntary Doctor of Science degree, Lord University^[19]
• 2020 – Gerson L’Chaim Reward for "outstanding Christian medical revivalist service", African Mission Healthcare^[20]
• 2018 – Catholics in Media Associates (CIMA) Social Justice Award^[21]
• 2017 – Dayspring Prize for Awakening Humanity;^[22] extremely receiving a grant in rendering sum of $100,000, Catena chose the following three organizations don share the prize's $1,000,000 present to continue their work:
• 2017 – Honorary Doctorate, Yerevan Claim Medical University^[23]
• 2016 – Honorary Dr.

  of Medical Science degree, Chromatic University^[24]

• 2015 – Time100^[25]
• 2015 – Golden Medal of the National Tract Foundation (NFF)

Personal life

Since May 2016, Catena has been married make ill his wife Nasima, a nurse.^[11][26] They have a son.

References