Patients in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, 2010
IT CAN BE DIFFICULT, FULLER SAYS, TO LEAVE everyday life on a moment’s notice and head to a strange country for an unknown amount of time. But he says it helps that his family and colleagues are supportive. The doctors he works with help cover his shifts and teaching. “It’s a testament to them that I am able to do these things. They all pitch in behind me, and I try to make it up when I get back.” And he doesn’t mind leaving the disaster zone once his work is
done. “I make the biggest impact on the front end,” he says. “Once rules of operation and strategy for care are established, I’m ready to go. By then I’ve lost 10 or 15 pounds, I haven’t had a lot of sleep, and I’m ready to get back to hot water.” But Fuller says he’s always aware that his short-term inconvenienc- es don’t compare to the suffering of the local people. “It doesn’t take
much to put things in perspective,” he says. In addition to his trips to disaster zones, Fuller took a sabbatical in
Ecuador from 2008 to 2009, working at an inner-city hospital. He also has worked in Nicaragua and is hoping to return there soon with his disaster medicine students. Fuller, a Stritch School of Medicine Alumnus of the Year in 2012,
says his Loyola experience helped guide him toward his true calling of emergency medicine, thanks to the opportunity in St. Lucia. He says Loyola also gave him a solid grounding in ethics and taught him the real meaning of patient-centered care. “Loyola was delivering that message before it was the catchphrase it has become today.” Fuller says he’s prepared to head out if and when the next disaster
hits—as long as he’s the right guy for the job and his wife gives her okay. His bag is packed and ready to go.
SPRING 2013
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