Praise for A Surgeon in the Village
"A harrowing and important story"
-The Washington Post
"A lyrical, inspirational and altogether rewarding account of first- and third-world surgeons working together to perform neurosurgery miracles in the heart of Africa."
-Tom Brokaw, broadcaster and author of The Greatest Generation
"A highly inspirational story ..."
- Kirkus Reviews
"A Surgeon in the Village is an invigorating, uplifting and fast-paced new book by Tony Bartelme."
- Health Affairs
"Ellegala’s pioneering work reminds us that urgent global-health work isn’t limited to investing in preventable diseases."
-Philanthropy magazine
"Bartelme’s narrative is thoroughly researched and his delivery warm and accessible."
- The (Charleston, SC) Post and Courier
"Problem solving, improvising, and expressing compassion permeate this unusual and fascinating chronicle."
- Booklist
"A Surgeon in the Village turns the modern philanthropic paradigm on its head."
- Danielle Ofri, author of What Doctors Feel
"Bartelme’s masterful command of narration helps a book about surgery, administration, and a bit of international politics read like a novel."
-Myrtle Beach Sun-News
"Tony Bartelme deftly weaves history and current affairs into a powerful true story of redemption and hope."
- James M. Scott, 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Target Tokyo
"Exceptionally well written ... this is a book that every student and practitioner of global surgery will find enjoyable and inspiring."
- Haile T. Debas, founder of U.C. San Francisco Global Health Sciences
"Bartelme writes knowingly of the dedication of a valiant doctor determined to change how modern medicine interacts with the world."
- Publishers Weekly
"Beautifully told story"
- Dr. John Schumann, Public Radio-Tulsa (Listen to interview!)
"A Surgeon in the Village” is an excellent read, even to non-global health aficionados, and sheds much-needed light on a neglected area of global health."
- Global Health TV
Watch podcast with Brilliant Miller:
Tony Bartelme has earned journalism's highest honors for his investigative reports, including awards from ASNE, AGU, Sigma Delta Chi and the Scripps, Gerald Loeb and National Press foundations.
In 2021, Columbia Journalism School awarded him its prestigious John Chancellor Award for his body of work. He is a former Harvard Nieman Fellow and has been a finalist four times for the Pulitzer Prize.
Events
Nov 12, 2018
What Tony Bartelme's new book, "A Surgeon in the Village," can teach you about medical missions and life
Oakland University Medical School
Presentation at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Michigan.
Feb 25, 2019
A Surgeon in the Village
University of North Carolina-Pembroke
Tony will talk about A Surgeon in the Village and investigative journalism at a special presentation and reception at 6 p.m., Feb. 25. For more details, visit here.
Apr 14, 2019
What does plankton have to do with faith?
Presentation and homily to the Unitarian Church in Charleston
Tony talks about how scientific discoveries can lead to deeper spiritual understandings in a presentation and homily at the Unitarian Church in Charleston at 11 a.m.
Sep 14, 2019
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Local climate reporting workshop
How to do local reporting on global environmental stories
Sep 16, 2019
Climate reporting workshop
ICN Southeast Network workshop
Regional climate reporting workshop.
Sep 26, 2019
Charleston County Public Library's Mount Pleasant branch 2:30 p.m.
Journalism hiding in plain sight
Tony Bartelme, senior projects reporter for The Post and Courier, will discuss how some of the world’s most pressing climate and health issues are hiding in plain sight. His book, A Surgeon in the Village, uses the story about a Charleston’s neurosurgeon’s quest to teach brain surgery in Africa as a vehicle about desperate shortage of doctors across the world. He’ll also discuss climate issues, such as what’s happening to ocean plankton, the stuff that produces half of the oxygen on earth.
Oct 14, 2019
A presentation to the Center for Creative Retirement
Every Other Breath: Plankton, the Gulf Stream and other hidden stories of climate change
Tony talks about his ground-breaking environmental stories at 1 p.m. at the College of Charleston's Center for Creative Retirement in North Charleston.
Feb 16, 2020
Southern Author Series at Historic Timrod Library
Tony Bartelme will talk about his investigative journalism and book, A Surgeon in the Village, during the Historic Timrod Library's Southern Author Series, Feb. 16, 2020, at 2 p.m.