Helmut Diefenthal

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Helmut Diefenthal
Born
Carl Helmut Diefenthal

(1924-03-20)March 20, 1924
Berlin, Germany
DiedJune 30, 2019(2019-06-30) (aged 95)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Years active1956-2014
Known forMedical missionary work in Moshi, Tanzania

Carl Helmut Diefenthal (March 20, 1924, Berlin, Germany – June 30, 2019, Minneapolis, US) was a German-born American medical missionary, professor, and radiologist who spent more than 25 years working in the Tanzanian town of Moshi. He and his wife founded the Kilimanjaro School of Radiology in the late 1980s.[1]

Early years and education[edit]

Diefenthal was born in March 1924 in Berlin, Germany[2] to a Jewish father. During Hitler's rise to power, the family's insurance firm was shuttered and his father was jailed twice, only escaping being sent to a concentration camp because of his marriage to a Lutheran woman. Diefenthal faced significant troubles in earning his medical degree due to his ancestry. He was eventually conscripted into the German Army during World War II as a medic. Though initially sent to Stalingrad, the Battle of Stalingrad saw him diverted to Crimea and Kyiv instead.[3] Following the war, he was able to attend medical school at the Free University of Berlin[4] and attended Martin Niemöller's St. Anne's Church in Dahlem.[3] He met Rotraut "Ro" Garstka at Church and the two married in 1952.[1] He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Wenckebach Hospital in Berlin in 1955.[citation needed] Diefenthal committed his life to missionary work after promising God he would "live a life of service" if he survived the war.[1]

Career[edit]

In 1956, Diefenthal and his wife began working with an American Lutheran missionary organization and were sent to a village near Ipoh, Malaysia, where they lived for four years and focused on clinical work in tuberculosis and parasite infestation.[2] They were then sent to a remote village in Tanzania's Pare Mountains, where Diefenthal was the only doctor.[1] After hearing of a new hospital being built in Moshi, he attended the University of Minnesota[3] and finished his radiology degree in 1965. His wife became a radiographer during this time.[2][3] In 1971, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) opened.[2]

They returned to the United States in 1972, where Diefenthal worked at the VA Medical Hospital at Fort Snelling and as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.[2] He enrolled in a series of courses to learn how to care for radiology equipment as well.[1][5] By the late 1980s, Diefenthal and his wife were no longer eligible as missionaries due to their age. Instead, they used their pension and Social Security money to return to Tanzania in 1988.[3] There, they founded the Kilimanjaro School of Radiology, where non-MD medical professionals could become certified medical assistants in radiology. In addition to teaching courses at Tumaini University, Diefenthal also started the university's radiology department and established two-year and four-year radiology residency programs.[6][4][1][7]

In 1989, the Diefenthals started the East Africa Medical Assistance Fund to benefit KCMC.[2] They returned to Minneapolis in 2014 where he continued to fundraise and develop training material for KCMC School of Radiology.[1][8][9]

Diefenthal was given an American College of Radiology (ACR) honorary fellowship in 2003.[10][11] In 2009, he and Ro were given a Hawkinson Honorary Award from the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for Peace & Justice.[2] In 2015, he was given the inaugural Global Humanitarian Award from the ACR[12][6] and the following year, the International Society of Radiology awarded him a Béclére Medal.[13][1]

Personal life[edit]

The Diefenthals had four kids, two of which were born in Malaysia.[1][2] KCMC opened the Helmut and Rotraut Diefenthal Cancer Care Centre in 2016.[14][15] Diefenthal passed away on 30 June 2019[15][8] and Ro passed away in 2020.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Melo, Frederick (30 December 2016). "Son of Jew conscripted by Nazis swore to do good if he survived. He did, and he did". TwinCities.com. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "2009 Hawkinson honorees and scholars span the globe in pursuit of peace and justice" (PDF). Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for Peace & Justice. 2009. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  3. ^ a b c d e Gunderman, Richard B. (2020). "Look for the helpers". Pediatric Radiology. 50 (9): 1205–1206. doi:10.1007/s00247-020-04754-6. PMC 7324908. PMID 32607610.
  4. ^ a b c "PROF. HELMUT DIEFENTHAL, MD". East Africa Medical Assistance Foundation. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  5. ^ "Advisory Committee". Foundation for Cancer Care in Tanzania. Archived from the original on 2015-06-09.
  6. ^ a b "2003 Helmut Diefenthal Speech". American College of Radiology. Archived from the original on 2014-08-23.
  7. ^ Thompson, Tracie L. (13 April 2000). "Radiology stint in Tanzania benefits patients and doctor". AuntMinnie.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  8. ^ a b "Dr. Helmut Diefenthal obituary". StarTribune. 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  9. ^ Wruble, Jill (2022-07-03). "Teaching Residents in Tanzania – An Immensely Rewarding Experience". vRad. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  10. ^ "Honorary Fellows". American College of Radiology. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  11. ^ "ACR Honorary Fellows" (PDF). American College of Radiology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-05.
  12. ^ "Dr. Helmet Diefenthal Earns 2015 ACR Foundation Global Humanitarian Award" (PDF). American College of Radiology. 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  13. ^ "Dr. Helmut Diefenthal Earns 2015 ACR Foundation Global Humanitarian Award" (PDF). p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  14. ^ "Phase I: BUILD CANCER CARE AND INFUSION CENTRES". Tanzania Cancer Care in Tanzania. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  15. ^ a b Thomas, Adrian (2019-10-23). "The remarkable life of Dr. Helmut Diefenthal". Aunt Minnie Europe. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
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