Here’s a link to Wikipedia’s entry on Medical Missions. Here are some of our favorite resources:

ARTICLES

• Why Surgeons Are Rethinking The Fly-In Medical Mission by Goats and Soda (NPR)
• The Pros and Cons of Fly In Medical Missions by Goats and Soda (NPR)
• Volunteering Overseas — Lessons from Surgical Brigades by Adam J. Wolfberg, M.D., M.P.H. (New England Journal of Medicine)
• More Harm than Good? The Questionable Ethics of Medical Volunteering and International Student Placements by Irmgard Bauer (Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines)
• Do No Harm? The Pros and Cons of Short-term Missions by Tony Bartelme (The Post and Courier)
• Health Impact Assessment and Short-term Medical Missions: A Methods Study to Evaluate Quality of Care by Jesse Maki et al (BMC Health Services Research)
• Charitable Platforms in Global Surgery: A Systematic Review of their Effectiveness, Cost-Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Role Training by Mark G. Shrime et al (World Surgery of Journal)

BLOGS

• Are Medical Mission Trips Worth It? by Med School Insiders

OPINION PIECES

• Replace Short-term Medical Missions with Long-term Local Investment by Jennifer Whitfield Bellows (Washington Post)

THESIS

• The Ethics of Medical Brigades in Honduras: Who Are We Helping? by Amanda J. Bradke (University of Pittsburgh)

This is not a comprehensive list. It’s one that includes resources that we have had the time to review and recommend. If you have others that you would recommend, please Contact Us. We would love to know what else is out there!