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Biomedical scientist

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Biomedical scientist

Biomedical scientists are the brains behind our medical operations in the field, running laboratories which screen patients for disease.

They keep things in perspective - aiding clinicians in their essential diagnoses. This involves testing for illness, training local staff as lab technicians, and monitoring the impact of our response to disease outbreaks.

Natural teachers, observers and analytic thinkers, biomedical scientists shine a light in often dark, confusing circumstances.

Read the blog posts below to find out more about life as an MSF biomedical scientist, or click here to find out more about applying to join the team.

Kate Baldwin
Biomedical scientist
Not just for COVID: How modern testing methods are changing refugee healthcare in Greece
We know that getting the right treatment, fast, makes all the difference for people caught in a crisis. But the right treatment relies on the right diagnosis. Lab specialist Kate Baldwin explains how she helps teams take a new approach.
05 Feb 2021 / 6 minute read
Ahmed Alhitary
Ahmed Alhitary
Biomedical scientist
Innovation: How WiFi could help our patients breathe more easily
From “smart” doorbells to thermostat apps, technology increasingly allows us to monitor and control our homes remotely. In war-torn Yemen, where the demands on our staff are large and room for error is small, one of our team is asking, could this work for hospitals too?
04 Jul 2019 / 3 minute read
Ahmed Alhitary
Ahmed Alhitary
Biomedical scientist
Innovation: Breathing better with technology
In a busy hospital in Yemen, MSF staff work hard to ensure life-saving oxygen is available for the patients who need it most. As demand grows, one biomedical scientist is exploring how technology can help. Ahmed Alhitary blogs…
22 Mar 2019 / 5 minute read
Zuzana and a colleague in the laboroatory at Amman
Zuzana Ileninova MSF
Zuzana Ileninová
Biomedical scientist
Innovation: How my microbiology team helps the healing process
Slovak microbiologist Zuzana shares her experience from Amman reconstructive hospital in Jordan, where Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is helping war-wounded patients recover from devastating injuries.
11 Feb 2019 / 8 minute read
The beautiful Gaza coastline.
Kate Baldwin
Biomedical scientist
Life in Gaza: "Is your future decided by where you are born?"
Does your birthplace determine your future? This is a question Kate, a biomedical scientist from the UK, asked herself while on a recent assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Gaza Strip.
17 Jul 2018 / 5 minute read
Kate Baldwin
Biomedical scientist
In the lab: '80% of all diagnoses can be attributed to our work'
When doctors don't know what's wrong with a patient, they order tests. But many people don't know what happens next. Kate is a biomedical scientist working in our hospital in Jordan. She blogs about the life-saving work of the lab...
28 Mar 2017 / 2 minute read
Washing drying in the MSF compound
Karin Walter
Biomedical scientist
Habari! My first mission in Tanzania
Austrian laboratory technician Karin Walter is currently in Tanzania on her first assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF first worked in Tanzania in 1993. We returned in 2015 to provide assistance for refugees living in overcrowded camps, with poor sanitation and little access to healthcare.
19 Jan 2017 / 3 minute read
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