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Mercy Ships volunteer Mark Elliott prepares for a day of assessing hospital damage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. [Photo courtesy of Mark Elliott].
Diplomacy graduate lays groundwork for medical aid in Haiti
by Sky Barsch Gleiner, correspondent
© Feb. 19, 2010 Norwich University Office of Communication
When Mark Elliott arrived in quake-stricken Haiti in January 2010, he saw devastation, disaster and confusion. To develop a response plan for a global medical charity called Mercy Ships, Elliott is drawing on the skills he learned from Norwich University's Master of Arts in Diplomacy (MDY) program.
"The greatest asset I bring from my MDY is the recognition not to bring any preconceived notions to a problem," said Elliott from the field. "Each problem or environment is unique and must be examined as a clean slate. Haiti of 2010 is not the Haiti of 2009 or 2008."
He believes food and water are being distributed ineffectively by the U.N. "That is why you are seeing the random acts of violence and attacks on food convoys," he said.
According to Elliott, the biggest needs are tents and post-operative facilities.
"Surgical teams are limited in the number of surgeries they can do because there are so few post-surgical beds available," he said. "A majority of the hospitals sustained major damage in the quake and are considered too risky with potential [aftershocks]."
Mercy Ships is hoping to staff a post-operative tent. Elliott is working with other nongovernmental organizations, churches and government groups to make it happen.
The Christian charity docks medical ships in the ports of some of the world's poorest and sickest nations, providing free medical care. They also send teams of doctors to developing nations such as Liberia and Benin.
Elliott travels to potential host countries ahead of the medical team to negotiate the details of the charity's ability to work there. He must secure a port, free drinking water and an agreement that medical supplies will not be taxed.
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“Each problem or environment is unique and must be examined as a clean slate. Haiti of 2010 is not the Haiti of 2009 or 2008.”
— Mark Elliott (MDY '08) |
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For varying reasons — often religious or political — leaders can throw up roadblocks, preventing extremely sick people from getting the help they need.
"We have to come in and try to demonstrate that it is not how [the leaders] treat their friends that … they will be remembered," said Elliott. "It is how they treat the lowest of their brothers and sisters."
That's where his unique skill set comes in. Moved by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Elliott, a successful information technology manager, and his wife, Zana, a nurse practitioner, gave up a comfortable lifestyle in New York to volunteer with Mercy Ships. With 10 years in the Coast Guard, extensive managerial experience and now his diplomacy degree, Elliott is well-equipped to be a negotiator.
Fellow Mercy Ships volunteer Mark Wright travels with Elliott to do pre-assessment work and has seen his skills in action.
"Mark builds rapport quickly with almost everyone he meets," said Wright. "He maintains objectivity in challenging situations. He understands the intricacies of the African geopolitical landscape and is able to navigate successfully in arenas where cultural and political nuances can have serious consequences."
Elliott started in IT with Mercy Ships, but was soon promoted to a diplomatic role. He knew that to be successful, he was going to have to learn more.
"When I was given this job, to do this negotiating and assessment, I realized I didn't have the skill set," said Elliott. "I realized that what I do will have such an impact on other peoples' jobs, I couldn't justify doing a mediocre job. If I was going to do this job, I was going to excel in it, and I wasn't going to excel in it not knowing what I don't know."
The MDY program "gave me a greater world view," said Elliott, especially in learning to keep an open mind. "To go into a situation and assume you have all the understanding and information just proves what a fool you are."
"Norwich is the greatest program I've ever been in," he added. "Just the depth — I had instructors that were living in Germany, Poland, Washington, D.C. — all of my professors came from different places. … Every time we started a topic or a regional study, you had your viewpoint, the belief system that you had going into that study. That had always changed for me by the end of the section learning about that conflict or region."
"[Mark] directly uses what he learned and what he gained from his schooling and his past," said Matt Nash, who used to conduct assessments with Elliott. "The reason he does what he does is he's a good combination of being organized, knowledgeable, and he's very good with people."
Some days, Elliott has to work directly with a leader or ambassador and later in the day talk to the poorest villagers, and he's highly adept at both situations, said Nash.
"Honestly, we don't get in as much trouble because of him."
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