MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ROGERS HELLMAN

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

My name is Rogers Hellman, and yes, that is an 'S' on the end of my first name. A cross my parents saddled me with. I've developed a computerized medical records system for use in rural settings within developing countries. Locales where challenges make that task more than a tad-bit daunting.

What do you love most about the work?

I do get to travel often. Or did, prior to Covid. I love the friendships and the opportunities to see a world decidedly different from the one I typically inhabit. My hope and expectation is that now that Covid is abating, I can resume my activities.

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

When this all started, 18 years ago, I had been successful in the world of high-tech. My career as a programmer led to executive positions. Even high-level positions within internationally known companies.

However, I had stepped aside from the world of technology with the idea of spending extra time with my daughters. They were of high school age and their time of living at home was limited. When I was ready to return to work, the business side of the technology world was in a down-turn and I continually encountered the words 'over-qualified'. We were comfortable financially, so my wife and I looked to other activities. That led us to travel to Guatemala to assist a team of Canadian physicians. What I learned is that doctors and engineers think differently. With collaboration between these mind-sets, the quality of care could be improved.

It also occurred to me that disease outbreaks typically originate in rural settings due to the nexus of people to animals. Further, with modern travel increasingly available, inevitably disease outbreaks would lead to epidemics and possibly pandemics. Stopping an outbreak as early as possible became one of my goals.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

As a Westerner, I could not possibly anticipate the challenges involved. Only by trial and error followed by persistence have I reached this point. There is more work to be done. Actually quite a lot, but now I can set up a working clinic in challenging environments. As patient records are captured, that information is replicated to a cloud server. From there, Ministries of Health can see and act on disease alerts, typically in real-time. Using analytic tools, patterns can be seen that should lead to strategic solutions of health problems. Pills are not always the answer.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

After 16 years of hard work. Most of that time, seemingly alone in my concern for pandemics and alone in concern for rural inhabitants across the globe, things are changing. I've been invited to the United Nations offices in Uganda. Hope springs eternal. Perhaps my lonely quest is about to end.