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Volunteer Spotlight--Christmas 2002: Dr. Alan Boyd
Name : Dr. Alan Boyd
Profession : Associate Professor, Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, Vanderbilt University
Role at the Clinic : Volunteer Physician
Began Volunteering : January 1998
What brought you to Siloam?
“I am on the board of directors of Health Talents International, a group of Christians dedicated to providing medical, dental and spiritual assistance to people in Central America . I travel yearly to Nicaragua to do dermatology clinics along with some other physicians and dentists. One of the first things I learned when I began doing this was that there was a profound need for dermatologists on these trips (and others like it) but almost no dermatologists ever went on them. I began to wonder if the same were true of indigent clinics serving the urban poor in Nashville so I called around and found out about Siloam and began volunteering there. It has been and continues to be a very rewarding experience.”
What keeps you coming back?
“My road into dermatology contained a number of setbacks. It has become clear to me that God wants me in this profession for a reason. To not give something back isn’t an option. Working at Siloam allows me to do that. The passage in Matthew 25, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’ rings in my head a lot and keeps me going when I am tired or cranky. Additionally, I want the residents I work with and my own children to understand that with the great privilege of being a dermatologist comes a responsibility to care for people without the same blessings we’ve been given. In short, it’s what Jesus would do.”
©2001 Siloam Health Center
