It was on a trip to Brazil teaching tropical medicine to U.S. military physicians years ago that Dr. Donald Skillman met two young girls waiting for church to begin one Sunday morning.

As the three talked, Skillman asked the best friends, then 13 and 14, what they thought they'd do when they grew up. They answered that they would probably get married and have their own families.

That's when Skillman -- who now practices with St. Peter's Medical Group, specializing in internal medicine and infectious diseases -- suggested something to the girls that would forever change their lives.

"I just mentioned to them that if you get an education, you can do anything you want," Skillman said. "You could see the shock come over them as they realized that's true. No one had ever mentioned that to them before, that they could be more than just pregnant and a mom."

Those girls, now 24 and 25 are now finishing up their college careers in Manaus, Brazil, an education Skillman has paid for out of his own pocket. One sister will earn her degree in pharmacy and biochemistry this December, the other will receive a psychology degree next year.

"It's been a real pleasure to help them out and see their success," Skillman said. "I'd like to hope that I can change their future and it will just continue to expand. They'll help their brothers and sisters and their children will do better than they could have had a chance to do."

Skillman has always believed in giving something back to the world, and he, like many other doctors in the Helena area, often participates in international medical volunteer efforts.

In addition to his eight trips to Brazil and two to Peru through the U.S. military, Skillman has made visits to Honduras.

This June he will lead a trip through St. Paul's United Methodist Church to work in a 200-bed hospital in Mozambique, one of the world's most impoverished nations.

Dr. Carla Williams, a Helena obstetrician and surgeon, will also make the trip to Mozambique with Skillman.

Williams said it's been a pleasure working with Skillman, not only because of his intelligence and skill, but because of his temperament.

"He has a wonderful sense of humor," Williams said. "He's also very pragmatic. That's something that's very important on this kind of trip. There's only so much you can do and it can be overwhelming for some people."

The group will also include co-leader Debbie Irby, who has handled much of the travel organization, nurse Jennifer Williams and several other members of St. Paul's.

The group will visit the Chicuque Rural Hospital, a small, 200-bed facility run by the Methodist Church, which Skillman said is one of the best in the country but is still lacking in things such as bandages, syringes and other basics, some of which the group will be taking with them.

This will be Williams' second humanitarian mission, having previously made a medical outreach trip to Guatemala.

"We just have so much in the U.S. and people in the developing countries don't even have the basic life needs, much less medical care," Williams said. "It's important to get refreshed on that part of it."

Williams and Skillman will both take their teenage sons with them on the trip. Williams said she thought it would be good for her son to "have his world rocked" by seeing how people live in other parts of the world.

Skillman said the doctors in Mozambique are eager for Williams' arrival. Most women in Mozambique give birth at home, he explained, so the hospital rarely sees easy or normal births.

"All of the people who give birth in the hospital would be termed complicated deliveries," Skillman said. "They're all very difficult, very complex cases that could really benefit from an experienced surgeon."

Skillman gained his experience in tropical disease when he specialized in that field during his 28-year career in the U.S. Army.

He said that when he goes on missions to tropical places, he routinely gives the children he sees de-worming medicine. That simple treatment has a profound effect on the children, who typically have a growth spurt of several inches following the treatment with corresponding intellectual growth, he said.

"The kids that are struggling through school, malnourished will suddenly be star pupils for six months and be six inches taller," he said. "All they need is a uniform to go to school and a good meal at night and they could have a totally different life.

"I'd like to think there's a four- or five-year time segment in the part of the Amazon that we're in where all of the kids will be tall and smart. That would be kind of cool."

Though he does the travel at his own expense and the trips come out of his own free time, Skillman said he doesn't see them as a sacrifice.

"I feel very blessed, very fortunate to be a physician," he said. "It's a way for me to give back some of what I feel I've derived from the job. In my experience, everyone who's ever done this, feels they get more in return than they give. It feels like the right thing to do."

Physicians in service

Today marks National Doctors Day. A number of area doctors regularly perform community service, including several who have completed humanitarian missions around the world.

Among them are: Dr. Jack McMahon, Ethiopia medical outreach in October 2008 and Haiti medical outreach in March 2009; Dr. Will Harper, leading a medical mission team to Tanzania in July; Dr. Earl Book, went on medical mission to Tanzania; Dr. Mike Strekall, went on a medical mission to Guatemala; Dr. Craig Wilkerson, has made medical missions to Nicaragua, Guatemala and Tanzania; dentist Dr. Jaden Irwin, has made several dental missions to Cambodia and Nepal and is a founder and sits on the board of Tiny Hands International, which helps children on the streets of Nepal and Bangladesh; dentist Dr. G.B. Givler, is planning a medical mission to Guatemala.

Features editor Joe Menden: 447-4087 or joe.menden@helenair.com