“Delivering a baby and flying an airplane have something in common: if you screw it up, someone is going to die,” quips Dr. Teresa Knight, OB/GYN at Women’s Health Specialists of St. Louis—Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Having done both, the adrenaline rush that comes with an infant’s first breath or a plane leaving the ground has fascinated Knight for years. Recently, something new has been captivating this Creve Coeur based doctor—the women of Tanzania.
“There has been a lot of new research showing that if you want to improve the standard of living for a group of people, you have to start with the women,” explains Knight. “It is best to put your aid money and effort with the caregiver; teach the women financial tools as well as general education and health literacy and it will be a magical combination.”
Knight, a Saint Louis University medical school graduate, is helping to create this “magical combination” for Tanzanian women through a non-governmental organization called UNITE the World with Africa. Founded in January 2010 by longtime St. Louis resident Anne Wells, UNITE is a social organization that fosters humanitarian giving and service opportunities between Americans and Tanzanians.
As medical director for UNITE, Knight trains Tanzanians to be healthcare technicians and works with local doctors to direct women's health initiatives throughout the country's northern district. Africa has one doctor for every 60,000 individuals. To put this figure in perspective: there is one doctor for every three individuals in America.
"Through UNITE and our Tanzanian field partners, we combine health literacy training with general education, vocational training, and microfinance initiatives to help break the cycle of poverty and save and enhance lives," said Knight.
While in Tanzania, Knight spends her time educating potential healthcare providers. Knight does not simply drop her medical knowledge in Tanzania and leave; rather, Knight spends as much time learning as she does teaching. The time that she has spent in Tanzania has taught Knight about what medical care should be.
“During a procedure, I asked one of the doctors there, ‘How do you help these people with such limited resources?’ He looked at me somewhat puzzled and said, ‘We are healers. The best thing that you can do is hold their hand and to give them hope,’” she explains. “What is wrong with the system here in America is that most doctors are no longer healers. Doctors should make you feel better like your mom made you feel better. A lot of doctors don’t even look at the patients; they only look at cat scans.”
Knight is currently back in the St. Louis area, healing patients at Women's Health Specialists of St. Louis—Obstetrics and Gynecology. Until she can get back to Tanzania, Knight will be occupying her time with her practice and spending time with her husband and two children.
And if life gets too boring between now and her next trip to Africa, delivering a baby or flying her plane will certainly snap her out of it.
