Miriam Rittmeyer

I serve currently as the Executive Director of Community Health Mission - a non-for profit volunteer clinic that has been serving the community since 2001. I became involved with this non-for profit as a volunteer. I am originally from Guatemala where I received my medical degree 26 years ago, and where I felt in love with Public Health. Since my days as a physician in Guatemala, I always wanted to look beyond the walls of the hospital or a clinic. I started by experience in the field doing community work, with lay health promoters, traditional Mayan midwifes, and traditional healers. Trying to bring medicine into the villages within the context of a different culture is a challenge, but it is very gratifying. My path as a Public Health professional had been decided for me as I started to take my long early walks in the highlands of Guatemala with my community health workers and traditional healers.

I came to the USA in 1988 to pursue a degree in public health, and I was very excited when Ingot accepted at Johns Hopkins. You never know where your future may take you. I met my husband while I was at JHU, moved to Chapel Hill in NC, got married, finished a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Epidemiology, and had my first son. What a change. When we move to Savannah GA to settle down, I work in academia for several years and I enjoyed it. However I was missing the clinic and community contact, and the reason why I came in first place to the USA. I found this volunteer clinic Community Health Mission in 2005, and like any other non-for profit, it was struggling to survive, to serve those in need, but with so much passion to make a difference. I feel that Community Health Mission has position itself as a role model to many volunteer clinics. In a time when healthcare is changing, CHM is prepared to meet the challenge, and to perform at the level it need it. My training as a physician, as a public health professional and as a scientist has put me in a position that I can be very effective in designing, implementing and evaluating community interventions. Especially when working at the grass-root level. I am a person that can adapt to rapid changes in the work environment, and like to work in collaboration with other individuals. The best ideas come from a group of individuals not one person.