Meet the Mass. doctor headed to Ukraine

Also: What it's like inside the brain of a hyperpolyglot [View in browser](    [❤️]( April 11, 2022 Hello CommonHealth reader, Today I'd like to introduce you to Frank Duggan. The Hingham resident has spent his life traveling. But for the first time later this month, Duggan will fly into a war zone. He's going to Ukraine. Duggan has worked for 20 years as an emergency room doctor, hopscotching across the country taking shifts wherever the health system is short staffed. Abroad, he’s logged more than 20,000 hours volunteering as a physician in dozens of countries, from Cambodia to Haiti, Kenya and Nicaragua. When Russia first invaded Ukraine, Duggan wasn't eager to add that country to his list; he worried that he might be more of a liability than an asset. Duggan told me what Ukraine needed then was medical supplies, due to disrupted supply chains: medications like insulin and medical equipment like metal frames to stabilize fractured limbs. Through a friend of a friend, he got connected with a group of medical professionals volunteering to support Ukrainians remotely. When a woman on hormone replacement therapy couldn’t access her medication, Duggan gave her a list of alternative medications that have similar effects and instructions on how to use whichever one she could find. He helped another woman who ran out of medication for an irregular heartbeat troubleshoot what to do. “If I can offload some of the burden, then their health care system can address the things that do require boots on the ground,” said Duggan. But now, Duggan is getting credentialed to practice in person in Ukraine. As the conflict heads into its seventh week, many of Ukraine’s medical personnel are beginning to experience battle fatigue and burnout, so reinforcements — in the form of other medical personnel — are useful, he told me. Duggan’s plan over the next few weeks is to fly to Poland and then make his way to Ukraine. Working with [Rapid Aid Liaison Group]( he expects to be paired with a bilingual medical student to help translate and navigate the Ukrainian health system.   As Duggan gets ready, he told me he’s been reviewing his notes on some of those medical procedures he hasn’t done recently — everything from wound care to c-sections. He’s also making a plan for how to break the news of his departure to his family. “I’m single still. I don’t have any children," he said. "My father's probably not going to be terribly thrilled when he finds out. But I feel strongly about what's going on over there and trying to be a part of the solution in some small way.” I’ll be checking in with Duggan as he travels to Ukraine. P.S.– Two important notes. First, next Monday is a holiday so no newsletter from us. Second, it’s our spring fundraiser. We’re asking you to [give money to support WBUR]( and it’s only fair for you to ask what we’re going to do with it. The answer is simple — we will use your money to pay for the programs, news stories and newsletters you get from WBUR. We'll use it to bring you more deep, local reporting that helps you understand the important things going on around you. Give [a gift today]( so you’ll know WBUR will have the money to bring you the stories you’ll want and need tomorrow. Gabrielle Emanuel Health reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [Mass. lawmakers consider expanding definition of domestic abuse to include financial and mental abuse]( California and Connecticut recently expanded their definitions of domestic violence to include psychological abuse. Several bills in Massachusetts would allow victims to seek protection orders for additional reasons, like name calling, financial control, technological abuse and isolation. 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