Interhealth South America director Don Wedemeyer, MD, has been working in Latin America with programs for North American health professions students, resident physicians, and health professionals since the decade of the 1990s. As a medical educator and practicing physician, for a number of years he has lived the majority of his time in the United States, and the remainder in South America. With Interhealth programs he attempts to develop conceptual bridges between the experience of practicing medicine in North America, and contrasts with healthcare provision in Latin America, especially in primary, community, and public health settings. He remains onsite in Ecuador the entire time in collaboration with his Ecuadorian colleagues, to assure a high quality experience for program participants.

Dr. Wedemeyer is a former faculty member of medical schools at the University of Miami and University of South Florida. He has had a variety of experiences in health care around the world. Besides Latin America, among others he has previously worked in Sub-Saharan Africa, and at the World Health Organization in Geneva. He was active in programs of the nationally established Global Health Education Consortium (GHEC) from the time of the founding of the organization during the 1990s. Among his publications are co-editing The GHEC/IHMEC Guidebook; Advising Medical Students and Residents for International Health Experiences. He currently devotes much of his professional time to working with global medical education programs in Ecuador.