Spotlight on Drs. Warren Sayre and Mike White, School of Medicine Class of 1999

Mike White, far left, and Warren Sayre help Haitian children at a local clinic.

As students in the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Warren Sayre and Mike White had visions of doing some sort of volunteer ministry in medicine once they graduated. That dream eventually came true and the experience is one they will never forget.

Mike, a physician in family practice and wound care in Newberry, S.C., and his wife, Karin, would be the first to fulfill the dream. Karin’s father had worked with the directors of an orphanage in Haiti on water wells. He learned that a medical doctor had not been to the orphanage in several years. So, in February 2007 Mike and Karin visited Bercy, Haiti, to lead a medical clinic. 

“We loved every minute of it,” Mike said. “I had the opportunity to examine the kids at Cabaret Baptist Children's Home and then hold a 3-day medical clinic. A church is located on the same grounds and a school is across the lane. Karin is a teacher, so she helped with teacher training and also helped in the pharmacy.”

Mike, who works in the wound care field, was not prepared for the number of injuries and wounds he would encounter. “Nurse Janna, a wound care nurse from Florida, and I saw malnutrition, starvation, worms, infections as well as many coughs and colds” Mike said. “But the number of wounds from fires, accidents, even one from a machete, was alarming.

“I am thankful to God that He led to me to wound care medicine three years ago. As part of my work in South Carolina, I was seeing many diabetic foot ulcers and wounds that would not heal. A local wound care center was hiring and training MDs who were interested in wound care. I took the training and I work part time at the wound care center.

“Being in Haiti made me appreciate so much what we have here,” Mike continued. “Steve Petrany, my preceptor in the Marshall Primary Care Curriculum, had encouraged me to go to Ebenezer Clinic while in medical school. This led to me going on a mission to Honduras while in residency at Florida Hospital. This pushes people to think outside of the local area and provide a way to help. This would plant the seed that would guide us the rest of our lives.”

The Whites have two girls, Lauren, 6 and Leanna, 9. Mike and Karin are now processing the adoption of a son, Clifford, a 4-year old Haitian with hip dysplasia whose mother has put up for adoption so he can have the necessary surgery and care. 

A Return to Haiti in 2008

This summer Warren Sayre had the opportunity to join Mike in Haiti. “Mike and I had kept in touch since graduating from medical school,” Warren said, “so when the opportunity came for me to go back with him, I jumped at the chance. I’ve always enjoyed traveling to different countries, and experiencing new cultures. And I was excited about hanging out with an old friend and using my medical skills to try to bring hope to a desperate country.”  

In June of this year the two former classmates were reunited. They saw approximately 300 patients each of the three days clinic was open. This experience reminded Warren of his original reason for becoming a doctor. “Trips like this one to Haiti reminded me of the reasons I started down the road to a medical profession in the first place, to help people and to share hope.”

While in medical school, several faculty members had made an impact on Warren. “Bob Walker, Steve Petrany and Mike Gibbs each made an indelible mark on me during my med school training. But probably one of my most memorable experiences in medical school was spending time with Ross Patton at his practice in Barboursville and traipsing through the Ecuadorian jungle on a mission trip. He taught me about connecting with the hearts of my patients. And, there’s a special bond between people who have drank banana juice together!”

Warren, a family practice doctor in Clinton, Tenn., and managing partner in the Summit Medical Group, credits the School of Medicine in general for his success. “Being from Cottageville, I knew I wanted to go to medical school in West Virginia and I knew I would choose a field in primary care,” he said. “After researching Marshall and interviewing with them, it was a no brainer. Marshall has one of the best family practice programs in the country. I like the diversity of interests the faculty shared such as travel medicine, wilderness medicine, rural health, etc. Experiencing the Marshall Primary Care Curriculum during my third year of medical school definitely matured me as a physician. But the single greatest accomplishment I made at Marshall was talking my wife into marrying me. Having her by my side is definitely what makes me most successful!

Warren and Angie Garrett Sayre, a 1997 Marshall graduate, have three children, Elijah, 5; Benjamin, 3; and Lydia, 1.

The web address for the orphanage is www.cabaretkids.blogspot.com. The site has pictures from the doctors’ trips to Haiti.