The Doctor is Out
When Joel Evans, M.D., a gynecologist in Stamford, first journeyed to India, it was for the same reason many people travel there: to further his own spiritual growth through the study of yoga and meditation. Now he visits once or twice a year, still seeking enlightenment—but also bringing his gifts in modern medicine to the people there who can benefit from his expertise and contacts with American companies.
Evans has “adopted” Padmam Hospital in the city of Madurai in southern India. He donates 10 percent of the income he earns from his gynecological practice, the Center for Women’s Health in Stamford, to the hospital, and also serves as a consultant to help its administrators plan for growth. Last year he arranged for a Fairfield-based medical device manufacturer, Competitive Technologies Inc., to donate a state-of-the-art Calmare Pain Therapy device, which has enabled Padmam Hospital to become widely recognized for treating chronic pain. When in India he works at the hospital, providing free medical care to area residents, and also helps arrange and run medical camps in remote villages.
“You can’t visit India without being impressed by its contrasts,” he says. “You have a country that excels in medicine, with very advanced technology, exporting expert physicians to the rest of the world. Yet at the same time, there is incredible need and poverty there. That struck me—it spoke to a part of me and my own need to be of service.”
Evans works through the Madurai Charitable Trust (mctrust.org.in), which is focused on bringing needed services to the community—a decision he made in part because of their “incredible efficiency” and in part be- cause he’s in philosophical agreement with their approach. “They have no administrative overhead, so every dollar gets funneled into the work—everyone is a volunteer,” he says. “They offer help in the way I believe is most beneficial,” he adds. “People don’t just get handouts; they actually receive training so they are able to provide for themselves.”
Evans, who practices holistic medicine, began his international outreach work in 2000, when he traveled to Bosnia to work in U.N. refugee camps. “We taught meditation techniques to refugees who had experienced all sorts of horrible tragedies and found we were able to help them feel a bit better abouttheir lives,” he says. “One thing that really helped them, we learned, was becoming able to help others. Helping others always helps the helper—and that is why I do this. It’s a beautiful circle—it not only makes me a bet- ter human being and a better physician, but it increases empathy. I feel like I am giving something back to the world and society— it’s my way of being a good citizen on this planet.”
From: "The Doctor is out" by Nicole Wise in Connecticut, November 2011
Evans has “adopted” Padmam Hospital in the city of Madurai in southern India. He donates 10 percent of the income he earns from his gynecological practice, the Center for Women’s Health in Stamford, to the hospital, and also serves as a consultant to help its administrators plan for growth. Last year he arranged for a Fairfield-based medical device manufacturer, Competitive Technologies Inc., to donate a state-of-the-art Calmare Pain Therapy device, which has enabled Padmam Hospital to become widely recognized for treating chronic pain. When in India he works at the hospital, providing free medical care to area residents, and also helps arrange and run medical camps in remote villages.
“You can’t visit India without being impressed by its contrasts,” he says. “You have a country that excels in medicine, with very advanced technology, exporting expert physicians to the rest of the world. Yet at the same time, there is incredible need and poverty there. That struck me—it spoke to a part of me and my own need to be of service.”
Evans works through the Madurai Charitable Trust (mctrust.org.in), which is focused on bringing needed services to the community—a decision he made in part because of their “incredible efficiency” and in part be- cause he’s in philosophical agreement with their approach. “They have no administrative overhead, so every dollar gets funneled into the work—everyone is a volunteer,” he says. “They offer help in the way I believe is most beneficial,” he adds. “People don’t just get handouts; they actually receive training so they are able to provide for themselves.”
Evans, who practices holistic medicine, began his international outreach work in 2000, when he traveled to Bosnia to work in U.N. refugee camps. “We taught meditation techniques to refugees who had experienced all sorts of horrible tragedies and found we were able to help them feel a bit better abouttheir lives,” he says. “One thing that really helped them, we learned, was becoming able to help others. Helping others always helps the helper—and that is why I do this. It’s a beautiful circle—it not only makes me a bet- ter human being and a better physician, but it increases empathy. I feel like I am giving something back to the world and society— it’s my way of being a good citizen on this planet.”
From: "The Doctor is out" by Nicole Wise in Connecticut, November 2011
