Elizabeth McLellan ’86G, RN, MSN, MPH – Founder of Partners for World Health
What brought you to USM?
Initially, I went to nursing school at Mass General Hospital School of Nursing and then went on to finish my BSN at Northeastern University. While working in Boston at Tufts Medical Center, I realized that for me to advance in the nursing profession to a leadership role, I needed a master’s degree. USM way back when had one of the MSN programs, so I enrolled, commuted, and finished my degree in Nursing Administration.
Tell us about your USM experience.
Initially, I had major challenges at USM given the difference between the curriculum and my lived experience as a Nurse. Ultimately, I saw the program as one that was thought-provoking and was helpful during an exciting time for nursing and those interested in advancing their career. It was helpful to me as I learned to navigate the intricate healthcare system that was ever-changing, and to develop a leadership style to help others during a period of rapid growth and change. The focus on administration of large nursing services and nurse-patient ratio, and finances was exceptionally helpful.
How did your career unfold after USM?
When I finished my MSN, I was offered a job as an Assistant VP of nursing for a 450-bed hospital in Saudi Arabia, ARAMCO. I was responsible for nursing services in OPD (2000 patients a day), OBGYN (delivered 15000 babies a year), Emergency services and offshore clinics (seeing 300 patients per day), managing 500 nurses and support staff with a multi-million-dollar budget. Being in the Middle East, there was a great opportunity for travel, especially on Medical Service Trips and recruitment trips. I recall an early formative experience that led to the establishment of Partners for World Health many years later.
I was in northern Pakistan, Quetta, near the Afghan border, visiting a hospital and waiting for the Doctor to come to show me around. It was a ward of 30 patients, no gowns, no bedsheets, no IV poles – so the IV bottle hung on a nail over the patient’s bed; there were no sinks to wash your hands, and a chamber pot under the bed. Also, it was very under-staffed with 2 nurses for 30 patients. The Doctor showed me around and introduced me to patients, explaining their illness. When he took the dressing off one patient, he did not have any clean gauze or tape to replace it, so he put the old one back on. I said to myself: “They have so little, and we have so much. Someday, when I go home, I am going to do something about this.”
When I returned to Maine, I took a job at Maine Medical Center in nursing supervision, and in 2007, I started to collect surplus medical supplies. By 2009, I had over 11,000 pounds of medical supplies and durable medical equipment stored in my house before we moved to the first warehouse! That year we established Partners for World Health as a 501(c)3 and 16 years later, we have sent more than 160 shipments valued at more than $45,000,000 overseas and helped save thousands of lives.
What might others find surprising about your work?
It takes commitment to something that is greater than your own self-interests, and if you stick with it as I did, it will grow. I try to instill this in young people to see what can be done by one person and how it has grown into its own organization, run by many. Work is not work if you enjoy what you are doing and are committed to it. It is just a way of living and following the path, no matter where it takes you. Maintain your values, your integrity, and do not hesitate, no matter how many obstacles are put in your path. It is easy to move forward when you are committed.
What are you most proud of?
Living life every day with compassion for others. Maybe I am most proud that I have helped to make a difference in the lives of many. My life has often unfolded without any real plan or path by seizing opportunities and figuring it out as I go. I have been fortunate that many people have shared the vision of PWH – helping people lead healthy lives on a healthy planet – and while it isn’t always easy to articulate, it is the life that I was intended to live. I have no regrets. Hindsight is a useful tool to measure how you made your way and how far you have come, but often it is just small decisions that mount up. Having a strong sense of purpose allows us to keep focused.
What comes next?
It is important in life that we have purpose, and if we do not have it, to find it! I have had a purpose my whole life, so thoughts of what to do have never been too far away from my mind. I do not know what the word retire means. That word is not part of my vocabulary.
Right now, I am thinking about establishing a floating clinic from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap in Cambodia, staffing it with nurses and physicians from the USA to help people with no access to medical services. We would start at 7 a.m. and beach the boat 3 times a day, set up tents on the riverbed, and see people for free. This was something we talked about at PWH but wasn’t in the cards at that time. Now perhaps this could be a new venture for me.
I also have an idea that we could develop a volunteer hub in India, utilizing an old colonial home with a garden and 8 bedrooms and 8 private baths, a big living room, a communal kitchen, and establish a “bed and breakfast with a cause.” People would come for a month or two to help and volunteer in different areas of need and experience life in a different part of the world.
I have always been passionate about the arts and music, and it is a long-held dream of mine to learnhow to play Passacaglia and have my first recital in the Philadelphia airport in front of passersby who do not know me! There is a beautiful baby grand piano for all to play.
I have always understood the value of sending people thank you notes and I might have time to write a book on the value and importance of taking time to connect with people by hand – and I guess like so many people who have been blessed to find purpose and meaning in their life and found a way to enrich myself through a life of service – I wonder if I have a memoir in me that would be of interest to others. Of course, some of those things require me to sit still, and I am not sure I am ready for that…. yet.