How Laboratory Volunteers Are Transforming Global Health

In remote regions across the world, there is a critical need for pathologists and laboratory professionals. Some countries don’t even have one pathologist, while others are severely understaffed and may lack the infrastructure to make vital diagnoses. 

The American Society for Clinical Pathology’s (ASCP) Center for Global Health is stepping in to bridge this gap, offering volunteer opportunities that range from overseas work to remote telepathology consultations.  

If you’re wondering if global health volunteering is the right fit for you, it’s likely more accessible than you realize. Below, three laboratory professionals share how they’ve found rewarding ways to contribute, whether through traveling abroad or helping right from their home.   

Volunteering both abroad and remotely 

Rochelle L. Garcia, MD, has found two rewarding ways to volunteer in global health: through traveling to a mission hospital in Kijabe, Kenya, and also right in her own community.  

“I started because I wanted to help people less fortunate than us,” says Dr. Garcia, Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Global Health at the University of Washington School of Medicine.    

Kijabe, a small village north of Nairobi, has a hospital mission complex that attracts patients from across Kenya and neighboring countries due to its reputation and lower cost. But there’s only one anatomic pathologist there who is essentially never able to take time off because of the workload.  

Every year for about four to six weeks, Dr. Garcia goes to Kenya to help, often bringing a resident with her.  

“The patient to doctor ratio in Kenya is significantly higher than in the United States,” she says. “And the patient to pathologist ratio is orders of magnitude higher than that.” 

When Dr. Garcia is not in Kenya, she’s still volunteering with global health right in her own community. ASCP has installed MoticEasyScan Ones in pathology laboratories in remote regions in Africa, which allows pathologists to upload their slides to a secure, cloud-based platform and U.S. experts can consult on them.  

Dr. Garcia’s remote work is mostly with cases in Cameroon, where she reviews slides, writes remote reports, and signs out on them. 

Whether volunteering in person or remotely, residents who help with global health quickly discover that they’re consulting on cases they might never see in the United States. This helps expand their experience and knowledge.  

“Here in the United States, 80 percent of what you see is some minor variant of normal,” Dr. Garcia says. “80 percent of what you see there is not normal.” 

This is because there just aren’t enough resources for preventive care in places like Kenya. 

“People are coming in with huge breast masses that have eroded the skin, or something similar,” she says. “And that’s in a country that actually has better medical care than some other African countries, where there are no pathologists at all.”  

While this makes her grateful for the resources we have in the United States, it also leaves her eager to help however she can. And she encourages anyone else interested to dive in.  

“If you’re going to evaluate slides remotely through ASCP, all you need is a computer,” she says. “You’re helping people at very low cost to yourself. I do a couple of cases when I’m fresh at six in the morning. The people who send the cases really appreciate it.” 

If you want to travel, then do that too, she adds.  

“I think pathologists are sometimes a little bit scared to take risks,” she says. “But it’s a very rewarding thing to go do.”   

A neuropathologist’s creative approach to volunteering 

When Eric Goold, MD, Neuropathology Fellow, PGY7 at the University of Utah, switched from a surgery focus to pathology late in his fourth year of medical school, he thought the change meant he wouldn’t be able to pursue his dream of volunteering in global health.  

He’s been happy to learn his initial worry was wrong.  

While in residency, Dr. Goold applied for ASCP’s Global Health Fellowship and was rewarded a $2,500 grant. He intended to use it to work in Ghana, but COVID hit and by the time international travel was open again, he had to change his plans. 

“My wife and I had four kids under four years old,” he says. “It was not really feasible for me to leave for a month.”  

But Dr. Goold found another meaningful way to help. 

He used his funds to assist a pathologist trainee in Ghana, Dr. Akosua Omenaa Boateng, to come and train at the University of Utah.  

“She came in 2023 and stayed with us,” he says. “Most of the funds were used for her plane ticket, helping with meals and stuff. She said she learned a lot, and now she’s identified another trainee [Dr. Mauda Adum-atta] who wants to come and get neuropath and forensics training. It all started because of the ASCP grant.”  

Dr. Goold says there are numerous opportunities for people who want to volunteer in global health but can’t travel. Like Dr. Garcia, he also helps with ASCP’s Motic digital pathology. He works with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to review head and neck cases from Haiti. Since his specialty is neuropathology, he helps triage cases, write reports, and get verification from Drs. Evan Raps and Ben Witt who are head and neck pathologists at the University of Utah. 

Even though residency and fellowship have been time consuming, his volunteer work really doesn’t interfere. 

“It’s fulfilling to know we’re providing help somewhere that’s dramatically, medically underserved,” he says. “You can impact so many patients who need someone who can get to the right diagnosis. I’ve done it all from my desk at work or at home.” 

Many students today want to work in fields where they can volunteer globally, Dr. Goold says, but they often don’t know pathology offers opportunities too. Volunteering helps raise that visibility.  

“Everyone thinks global health is interesting,” he says. “As you hear about what other people are doing, you realize, ‘Oh, there are a ton of opportunities.’”  

It can also be a great networking opportunity for residents.  

“The grants and opportunities that ASCP offers are a way to get your foot in the door and start making connections,” he says. “I’m finishing training next year and looking at jobs. I like having people at institutions already know my name and being able to talk to them about career options.”  

Channeling a lifelong passion for global health 

Varsha Manucha, MD, is acutely aware of just how important it is to volunteer in global health. Early in her career, she helped her father set up a small laboratory in a charity clinic in India.  

“Every time I visit India, I make a point to stop by the lab to see if there are additional ways I can help,” says Dr. Manucha, Professor in the Department of Pathology and Section Director in the Division of Cytopathology and Section Chief of Genitourinary and Head & Neck Pathology at The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC.)  

A few years ago, ASCP was seeking volunteers in surgical pathology and cytology sign-outs in Africa. She signed up immediately.  

“I saw this as a great opportunity to give back and share my knowledge in a region where there was a clear need,” she says.  

Dr. Manucha is grateful for the resources she has in the United States, because it has equipped her with skills to help others internationally. If you have even the slightest interest in volunteering, Dr. Manucha urges you to start right away.  

“Don't wait too long or feel like you need to be more experienced before volunteering,” she says. “Start now, even if it's just a small amount of time. Take the first opportunity that comes your way. Volunteering not only helps others, but it also enriches your own life and career in ways you may not anticipate.” 

How to get started with ASCP 

If you’re interested in volunteering with ASCP, you can see a list of the current volunteer opportunities at this link. Opportunities range from virtual volunteers who read slides or provide mentorship to traveling in person and providing training or helping with case work.