World Telehealth Initiative

05/27/2026

👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️Nurses are the backbone of healthcare, making up the majority of the workforce in low-resource settings and providing essential primary care. According to the World Health Organization, the current global nursing shortage is estimated at around 5.9 million nurses, and is most acute in Africa, South-East Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean Region.🌍

In response to the demand from our partner hospitals and clinics, World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) launched a nursing education program designed to equip nurses with specialized skills and knowledge via telehealth. Volunteer nursing experts lead lectures and mentorship sessions, covering essential topics such as emergency care and pediatric care.🩺

By responding directly to the requests of the communities we serve, WTI ensures each session provides valuable, practical knowledge that directly enhances patient care.🤝

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

Our latest Impact Report showcases the life-saving healthcare you bring to communities in need through World Telehealth Initiative (WTI).🤝❤️

Your support saves lives: From crisis to recovery in Togo

At El Elyon Hospital in Togo, a small country in Africa, the medical team was managing multiple emergencies when a patient arrived in severe respiratory distress.🏥The patient urgently needing a breathing tube to survive, but this wasn’t a procedure the local team was prepared to perform independently.👨‍⚕️

🌎 Explore the report for the outcome that your generosity enables: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5aba9aa8372b96c29bcca923/t/69fa335a23f68c23692fc2b9/1778005184762/WTI+Impact+Report+2025

05/13/2026

How does World Telehealth Initiative connect hundreds of healthcare providers around the world?👨‍⚕️👩‍⚕️

Our custom-built software, myWTI, matches requests for support from hospitals and clinics in underserved areas with the appropriate medical expert. 🤝For example, a hospital requesting a nephrologist is connected with a physician who has the right credentials, skills, language, and availability. 🏥We are currently building the myWTI mobile app with support from The Gadfly Project to make this tool even more accessible for our volunteer medical experts and partner hospitals and clinics. 🌍

05/07/2026

World Telehealth Initiative is powered by a global community of medical volunteers who share their expertise across borders to strengthen healthcare where resources are limited. Meet two providers from Atria Health, who are dedicated to supporting colleagues across the world:

- Dr. Bart Demaerschalk, a vascular neurologist, works alongside care teams in Togo and Kenya, providing clinical guidance on complex neurological cases such as epilepsy, stroke, and more. His lectures on critical topics such as coma assessment are attended by 10+ providers.
- Dr. Nicholas Caputo, an emergency medicine specialist, shares practical expertise to help teams respond more effectively in high-acuity settings. His recent lecture in Bhutan was attended by 20+ clinicians.

We are deeply grateful to our volunteers who give their time, skill, and compassion to expand access to quality healthcare worldwide.

04/24/2026

World Telehealth Initiative is bringing providers together from around the globe to collaborate, share knowledge, and expand access to quality care.🌍Dr. Vicentim, a family medicine physician based in São Paulo, Brazil, is supports patient care all the way in Bangladesh. 🤝

At HOPE Hospital in Bangladesh, Dr. Mosharaf shared that “every patient feels comfortable and likes Dr. Vicentim’s smiling face and friendly approach." 🧑‍⚕️🏥Patients are returning for follow-up consultations, building trust and continuity of care across borders.

04/23/2026

Last month, World Telehealth Initiative's CEO traveled to Togo to visit our partners at El Elyon Hospital. Sharon Allen connected with the community and local healthcare champions like Honore Sedoufio, who makes our program possible. WTI's training course was wrapping up during Sharon's visit, and the local team is actively using their new skills to diagnose patients and improve health outcomes. In a place where healthcare access is limited, the ultrasound has been lifechanging for the community.

04/10/2026

World Telehealth Initiative's incredible volunteers dedicate their time and expertise to improve healthcare access in low-resource areas. Here are just a couple volunteers whose dedication to global health goes above and beyond:

- Dr. William Waite, an Emergency Medicine physician in Florida, teaches ultrasound to clinicians in vulnerable communities to improve diagnostics and patient outcomes.

- Dr. Ebi Aigbivbalu is originally from Nigeria, and now as pediatric hospitalist in the U.S., who supports patient care in Bangladesh, Nigeria, and more.

- Wendi Thomas, RN is a nursing executive in California who shares her expertise in Kenya to strengthen nursing education, leadership development, and workforce capacity.

As we celebrate Volunteer Month this April, we are deeply grateful for all of our volunteers whose compassion, expertise, and commitment are transforming global healthcare.

04/03/2026

Providing clinical support across oceans and languages requires thoughtful collaboration and programs designed around each community’s needs. At World Telehealth Initiative (WTI), we work to make sure language isn't a barrier to care.

In Togo, Dr. Komi Folly founded El Elyon Hospital after witnessing the challenges people face when access to healthcare is limited. Now practicing internal medicine in the United States, he continues supporting El Elyon through WTI. He consults on cases, mentors clinicians, and helps guide complex treatments from afar via telehealth. As the program has grown, more volunteer healthcare providers from WTI's global corps have joined him in supporting the hospital. French-speaking volunteers and translators help ensure communication is clear, while training materials are translated so clinicians can continue learning independently.

Discover how thoughtful collaboration is helping improve care in Togo: https://www.worldtelehealthinitiative.org/blog/care-across-languages-a-closer-look-at-wtis-impact-in-togo

Strong healthcare partnerships are built on trust and shared understanding. Providing telehealth support across oceans and languages, such as French-speaking countries like Togo, requires thoughtfully bridging cultures and tailoring each program to the community and hospital’s needs and resources.

04/01/2026

World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) is helping clinicians around the world connect, learn from one another, and improve patient care across borders.

Through WTI, volunteer physicians and nurses provide virtual training, mentorship, and clinical support to healthcare providers in under-resourced regions. Nurse educator Leanna Ross is a shining example of the dedication of WTI volunteers. From her home in Montana, she has led telehealth learning sessions for hundreds of clinicians in countries from Togo, to Kenya, and Bhutan, covering topics such as stroke assessment and infection prevention. What began as a volunteer opportunity has grown into meaningful cross-cultural collaboration grounded in shared learning and a commitment to health equity.

The Catholic Health Association highlights how healthcare providers are expanding access to care worldwide through WTI: https://www.chausa.org/news-and-publications/publications/catholic-health-world/archives/march-2026/telehealth-connections-enable-us-clinicians-to-train--mentor-and-support-overseas-health-care-providers

A Providence nurse in Montana has earned accolades for training 700-plus overseas clinicians in two years.