Dr. Tobias Kollmann (MD, PhD) is an associate professor in the Division of Infectious and Immunological Diseases at UBC and the Global Pediatric Infectious Disease training program at BC Children’s Hospital. He teaches 1st year medical students in the IDMM block and it is our pleasure to feature a Q&A session with him in this edition of the Global Health Dispatch.
Briefly tell us about yourself.
During the beginning of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, I was in Ethiopia doing part of my medical training. Along a truck route from Addis Abebba to Nairobi, I saw the plight of the kids apparently infected with HIV, and it deeply touched me. I then had the chance to visit Dr. Arye Rubinstein, the person who first described pediatric AIDS,at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. On my first day with him, we saw a young girl with AIDS in the clinic. This girl was the cover girl on Newsweek for pediatric AIDS. At the end of her clinic visit, we took a sample of her blood and brought it over to Dr. Rubinstein’s lab, where his crew was working on figuring out how to best treat AIDS in kids. At that moment, I had chills running up and down my spine, as I had never realized that research and clinical medicine could be “one and the same”. Since then, I was hooked on becoming a clinician-scientist. Today, I practice both medicine and research in order to truly deliver the best care.
How and when did you get you get involved with the Neglected Global Diseases Initiative (NGDI)?
The impact of infections on people in the world is enormous. The majority of these are infections most of us have never heard of before. This knowledge gap ultimately maintains a vicious cycle of poverty begetting infection, and infection begetting poverty. I had felt this very clearly during my efforts in Africa. Since then, it has been deeply engrained in me to do everything I can to change this. The NGDI will not only engage in educating people about neglected global diseases, but also develop interventions for these diseases and ensure their delivery.
Do you travel to other countries for the NGDI or is most of your global health work done from Vancouver?
Both. In my lab, we have projects all over the globe. Students are mainly based here.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your global health work?
Lack of funding is by far our biggest challenge. These neglected global diseases are not affecting Canadians by the millions, and are not staring us in the face every day. This fact reduces the enthusiasm of reviewers and funders alike. To some degree, this is understandable, as there are so many pressing problems already in Canada. Yet it is also somewhat shortsighted, as these infections are often only a flight (or a visitor) away from striking Canada.
What are some of the biggest rewards of your global health work?
I have the most fun when I’m working with people who recognize the world as the highly diverse but small village it is, where we are all brothers and sisters. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” As a practicing Catholic, I find the biggest reward to be seeing how my life and my work, both in the lab and in the clinic, contribute to this world peace.
What other types of health care professionals do you work with?
Beyond joining the NGDI at UBC, I initiated the first clinical global pediatric infectious diseases training program in Canada. Here, our fellows are trained in recognizing global infectious threats through an active exchange program with sites around the world.
Do you have any interesting stories you would like to share with us?
The mystique of working in the developing world often brings to mind this beautiful image where everyone imagines themselves as Albert Schweitzer in the jungle, playing with monkeys while saving people all over the world. Instead, the daily reality is one of managing a smelly, sweaty mess. But if you have the right attitude and point of view, and see your brother, your sister, your child, or your parent in the worm-infested suffering soul in front of you, you are lifted up and suddenly, all is more beautiful than you ever imagined.
What “words of wisdom” do you have for medical students wanting to get involved with global health work?
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” What else to add to this?
Interviewed by Natasha Simula, 2nd year UBC medical student (Class of 2016).