CAP@Your Service – April 2008

James M. Small, MD, PhD, FCAP, examines slides at the Women’s Clinic in Juarez.

College of American Pathologists member and Spokesperson James M. Small, MD, PhD, FCAP, is no stranger to helping people. As a pathologist with UniPath, LLC in Denver Colorado, Dr. Small helps local patients everyday in the laboratory by performing tests, which confirm diagnosis, and in many instances save lives. As an active member of Mission Ministries, he also has offered his medical services globally to the well-deserving people of Juarez, Mexico. The non-profit organization assembles short-term missions to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of Mexican pastors and their congregations.

“About four years ago, I was on a mission to help build houses in Juarez,” said Dr. Small. “While working side-by-side with a local resident, I told the man that I was a doctor. The man said that I should come back to build people—not houses. This conversation sparked the idea of returning to the area to treat patients.”

Upon his return to the States, Dr. Small began working to put together a team of health professionals to travel to Juarez and assist the Mission Ministries team at the Women’s Clinic. The purpose of the team was to screen and test women for cervical cancer, which is prevalent in Mexico. Dr. Small turned to the College for assistance. The CAP Public Affairs Department provided background on the College’s See, Test and Treat™ program, as well as recommended a cytotech who had previously worked on a CAP See, Test and Treat event in Minneapolis. See, Test and Treat t-shirts were also provided.

Dr. Small and his team traveled to the “colonias,” which are little villages set up on the outskirts of Juarez.

“When we arrived to the colonias, we saw first-hand the dire conditions, in which the residents lived,” said Dr. Small. “They burned tires for fuel, and their only access to drinking water was rain barrel that was filled once a week by the city. Their homes were made from whatever scrap material they could find.”

Because the people of the colonias had little or no access to medical care, Dr. Small and his team not only treated 40 Pap patients, but also saw many individuals with respiratory disease and sick children. The interesting finding was that of the 40 women, only one had an abnormal Pap.

In addition to performing Pap tests, Dr. Small also performed two fine needle aspirations of the breast – both of which turned out benign.

“Telling a Juarez woman that she did not have breast cancer, was one of the highlights of the trip,” said Dr. Small. “Seeing her big smile and knowing that she was going to sleep that night, was a reward in itself.”

Dr. Small returned to Juarez in February 2008, to perform 60 Pap tests, of which two were abnormal. In addition to screening for cervical cancer, Dr. Small also brought a pediatrician with him.

“We realized on the first trip, that we were not only treating women, but their families,” said Dr. Small. “That’s why we decided to expand our team the second year.”

Learn more about more about Missions Ministries and view photos from Dr. Small’s trip. For more information about the College’s See, Test and Treat program, contact Public Affairs at publicaffairs@cap.org.