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Kaleidoscope Fall 2018
A special kind of smile Dentist helps those in need of dental care in other nations BY PHILLIP HARTMAN For Kaleidoscope
CLINTON, Iowa – Several years ago, Dr. Michael Callan found himself feeling like an orphan – and soon after, was inspired to help actual orphans worldwide. “My mom died in 1999, and my dad in 2005,” the 56-yearold Clinton-based dentist said of how he began working with the Medical Teams International group to provide dental services overseas. After his father’s death, he heard a speaker at the Church of the Open Door in Clinton discuss an orphaned boy who had been raised in the jungle by monkeys. “I though, what if I went and
helped real orphans?” Callan recalled. In 2006, the dentist started going to a group of orphanages in Cambodia through Medical Teams International. Callan said the group is similar to Doctors without Borders, an international, non-governmental, humanitarian medical organization best known for its projects in conflict zones and countries affected by endemic diseases. Now, Callan generally travels every November to Cambodia and every February to the Philippines. He’s also spent time in Kenya and Haiti, providing general dental care. “I go two to three times a
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Michael Callan usually travels every November to Cambodia and every February to the Philippines, and has spent time in Kenya and Haiti, providing general dental care. year. We’re working on a trip to an orphanage in Mexico,” Callan said. The road to assisting people with dental health started early for Callan, who grew up in Dubuque, Iowa. He said a
family friend was an orthodontist. “My dad wanted me to be a radiologist. He forgave me later on,” Callan joked. SMILE continued on 64
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