Humanitarian Efforts
In 1993, Dr. Geoffrey Smith joined founders Dr. R.B. Johnson and others to provide services and equipment for underprivileged children in Asian countries. In particular. Dr. Smith provided hearing aids and ENT instruction and curriculum to local families and doctors.
Mid-1970s to Mid-1980s
In the mid-1970s, my medical office took care of hundreds of refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Their main problem was ears - infections, perforations of the eardrum, tumors, and hearing loss. In the mid-1980s, I visited Asia as a guest professor and tourist. While there, I researched local medical practices and published a series of articles in medical journals and non-medical magazines.
Americans Helping Asian Children (AHAC)
In the late 1990s, Dr. David Woodruff asked if I would help Americans Helping Asian Children (AHAC) by spending some time in Vietnam with Dr. Bruce Johnson and their team. I enjoyed both the country and the work and have been helping nearly every year since.
AHAC expanding from Vietnam to Laos, Cambodia, and Burma
During the last several years, I participated in preliminary visits and evaluations in Laos, Cambodia, and Burma to determine the possibility of medical success compared with Vietnam.
Since I taught students, paramedics, and physicians at UCLA, UCSD, and in meetings nationally and internationally for over 35 years, I was happy to help by adding an ENT-clinical section to Dr. Woodruff's hearing aid instruction for teachers and families. The ENT-clinical material evolved into updated talks with the younger hospital ENT doctors in Ho Chi Minh City.
The children of Vietnam have benefited from the organization's work, and as a consequence, it has significantly improved the country's infrastructure. We are ready to increase our scope of help to the neighbors of Vietnam, particularly in Burma and Laos.