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A young Bruce and Katie Dahlman are about to embark on a marvelous and exhausting adventure as they agree to work in Africa in the medical field. How long could this possibly last? Photos courtesy of Katie and Bruce Dahlman
A Grand Marais physician with international roots has received the prestigious American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) 2020 Humanitarian award.
Bruce Dahlman, MD MSHPE, “has made a lasting impact on the specialty of family medicine through his efforts to expand family medicine training to under-resourced communities across rural Africa,” said the AAFP press release. The American Academy of Family Physicians represents 136,700 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Working side by side with his wife Kate, a registered nurse, through African Inland Mission International and the Institute of Family Medicine (Nairobi), Bruce spent more than 25 years providing essential medical care while teaching and mentoring physicians. According to the press release, “Among his accomplishments, he helped launch Kenya’s first family medicine training program at Moi University and was the founding head of the Department of Family Medicine at Kabarak University of East Africa.”
Older now and mostly retired from their work in Kenya and other African nations, Bruce and Katie reflect back on their faith-based journey, the people they have met, medical personal they have trained, and give thanks to those who supported them financially and in prayer. They offer all of the glory of their tremendous works to God.
“I’m deeply humbled to receive this award on behalf of the people of this county and many others who supported us to serve in East Africa,” Bruce said. “I want to say thank you to our sending church, Grand Marais Evangelical Free Church, several other churches in the county and over 70 other full-time financial supporters and the additional prayer partners over these past 28 years. This community has really encouraged us.”
According the press release, “While he has worked in Africa to expand family medicine specialty training and develop physicians and faculty, Dahlman has also continued to have a presence in our state, teaching and educating family medicine residents [Duluth Family Medicine Residency], medical students [University of Minnesota School of Medicine – Duluth] and colleagues about the relationship between global health and family medicine.”
Thinking about the honor he received, Bruce explained, “This AAFP award is for doctors but Kate and I worked together as a team. They didn’t ask about Kate, but everything we did we did as a team. I trained interns and family doctors and Kate trained nurses. She helped start and teach in three nursing programs and I helped start two physician training programs so Kate has me beat,” he said with a laugh.
For her part in this epic life long journey Kate said, “I am extremely grateful to have been so lucky for the life I’ve gotten to live with Bruce for over 41 years”. In addition to teaching, a highlight for her was helping for two years with a medical ministry to orphans and vulnerable children in Nairobi, Kenya, called “The Least of These”. This team visited 10-20 orphanages and homes each month to examine children and provide basic medical and nursing care for them.
Bruce and Kate have three children, two of whom were born at North Shore hospital. Erik and his wife, Mizuho, live in Elk River, MN, with their almost 3-year-old daughter and a son expected in late April. Erik works as a medical physicist and Mizuho is a cancer researcher at the University of Minnesota. Ryan and Katie Dahlman, who met in Kenya where they were both teachers at Rift Valley Academy, live and work in Columbus, Ohio, where Ryan is a principal for a middle school and Katie works as a special needs teacher. Kaari and Zach Newman live with their 4-month old son in Newark, Delaware, where Kaari is a PhD student in English Literature and Zach is a software engineer.
When he wasn’t in Africa, Bruce worked not only in Cook County but also over the years has served as an emergency room physician in Two Harbors, Cloquet, Moose Lake, Crosby, Aitkin and Virginia.
As part of his work in growing and developing the family medicine workforce in under-resourced areas, Bruce developed and distributes the Digital African Health Library Service to primary care health workers who are practicing in remote locations in East and Central Africa. The service is a mobile phonebased, integrated search engine with more than 60 evidence-based handbooks, guidelines, formularies and journals with special emphasis on African-relevant resources that support clinical decision-making at the point of care.
Compliments on winning the award came from AAFP President Ada Stewart, MD, “Throughout Dahlman’s career, he has worked tirelessly to improve the health and lives of people in underserved communities. He has done this not only by providing essential medical care, but also by working to build a sustainable education and health care delivery system on a family medicine foundation. The AAFP Board of Directors commends Dahlman for his excellence as a clinician, administrator, teacher and mentor; his innovative spirit; his lifetime contributions to medical education and our specialty; and the profound influence his collaborative leadership has had in Africa and the United States.”
Kudos also came from David Hutchinson, MD, past delegate of the AAFP and past president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, who had this to say, “With vision, focus, courage and perseverance, [Bruce] has helped to re-craft the landscape of medical practice Sub- Saharan Africa in the image of family medicine’s values.
Currently Bruce is working in emergency care through Wapiti Medical at North Shore Health and is a hospitalist for Mille Lacs Health System in Onamia. He continues his work to expand family medicine training in Africa as an Executive Team member for the Christian Academy of African Physicians and a lead for emergency team training through the Global Comprehensive Advanced Life Support course.
“When I started at Kijabe Hospital in 1992 there were four mission doctors and two general surgeons for 220 beds. Now Kijabe is a well-respected 340-bed regional teaching and referral hospital with 20 residents and 20 consultants in five different residency programs. I am most pleased with the way Kijabe and the hospitals where family physicians serve are now continuously improving the quality of care they deliver,” said Dahlman.
An alumnus of the University of Minnesota Medical School, Bruce began his training on the UMD campus. Bruce completed his residency in family medicine at the University of North Dakota – Grand Forks and received a master’s degree in health professions education from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
In closing Bruce said he would also like to thank all of his friends and colleagues in Africa for all they have taught him as he noted, “That would take a book.” “We appreciate all of the prayer support we received over the years for our team. It’s been a wonderful experience, a worthwhile and fulfilling career. Kate and I hope to continue our short-term visits to support the African team when the Covid restrictions are eased,” said Bruce.
“We seek to follow our Kijabe Hospital motto, ‘Health Care to God’s Glory’, and we praise God for sustaining us to do so. The greatest joy from our years of living in East Africa is seeing the fruit of our work: family doctors and nurses following Jesus’ example by providing wholistic care in service to their communities.”
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