News Press Release Medical mission to Tonga aims to curb diabetes

Medical mission to Tonga aims to curb diabetes

Tonga has a medical emergency on its hands. More than half of the Pacific Islanders there are obese, and one in four lives with diabetes.

About `Amanaki Fo`ou

To help train the next generation for a diabetes-free future, ‘Amanaki Fo’ou currently has an internship program at BYU-Hawaii, where the student population includes many young people from the indigenous nations of the Pacific. There, interns work with our student mentors to learn about diabetes prevention, develop leadership skills, and promote community health.


If you’d like to learn more about our internship program, click here

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Dr. Rob Ferguson

Chair of Treatment Team

Co-founder of ‘Amanaki Fo’ou’ with wife Andrea Ferguson

Since 2013, Rob Ferguson has been working with ministries of health, medical professionals, government leaders, and hospital and clinic staff to address the management, treatment, and education on the sequelae of diabetes. Rob is a reconstructive surgeon and hospital system medical officer with Intermountain Health (based in Salt Lake City, UT). His focus includes training teams on surgical management of diabetic complications as well as working with local teams to recruit volunteer specialists to meet their goals and needs.

 

 

Rob graduated from Brigham Young University prior to obtaining his medical degree from the University of Virginia. His surgical and specialty training programs include the University of Kentucky, MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX), and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan). He obtained a masters in business administration from the University of Utah.