About Us
Where It Started
International Surgical Missions began with our founder, Dr. Paul Radway, a proud Chicago native driven by a lifelong passion for humanitarian service. After years of dedication and training, Dr. Radway built his career as a surgeon in Pueblo, Colorado.
The turning point came when he met Dr. Hildegard Dineros and Joone Guevara through the Society of Philippine Surgeons of America. In the early 2000s, he joined them on a medical mission to the Philippines — an experience that forever changed his perspective. Witnessing the transformative power of surgery for patients who otherwise had no access to care ignited a new purpose.
Inspired by that first mission, Dr. Radway went on to serve communities in Ecuador, Madagascar, Malawi, and Nepal, bringing hope and healing to those most in need. Upon returning to Colorado, he envisioned a way to continue this work — and from that vision, International Surgical Missions (ISM) was born.
The Early Years
Our early missions came with countless logistical and financial challenges. From sourcing and storing medical supplies to practicing medicine in unfamiliar regions, every trip was a test of resilience and teamwork. The support of local liaisons and government partners proved invaluable — they provided essential resources, venues, and legitimacy that made these missions possible.
Over time, we established a home base in Biri, a municipality in Northern Samar, Philippines, where we built strong relationships with local medical institutions and professionals. This partnership created sustainable, year-round infrastructure — including reliable storage facilities and hospital access for both local and visiting mission teams.
ISM continues to broaden our international horizons by coordinating and organizing yearly missions to new countries and cities alongside repeat missions. Our commitment to global free healthcare is core to our beliefs.
Today's Missions
On each mission, International Surgical Missions (ISM) sends a dedicated team of volunteer doctors, nurses, surgeons, and support staff to communities in urgent need of medical care. Over the course of approximately 10 days, our teams perform more than 500 life-changing surgeries — including hernia repairs, thyroid and gallbladder removals, cleft lip and palate reconstructions, hysterectomies, and many others.
Beyond providing critical surgical care, education is a cornerstone of every mission. We work to dispel medical misconceptions and build trust through compassion, transparency, and patient education, empowering communities with the knowledge to better understand and care for their health.
Our Team
Each of our mission attendees generously volunteers their time, skills, and resources, even covering a portion of their own travel and mission expenses. Their dedication makes every operation — and every life changed — possible.
We’re always seeking passionate medical professionals to join our team and help us expand access to essential healthcare. Volunteers with experience in the following fields are especially encouraged to apply:
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surgeons, surgical assistants
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anesthesia providers
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dentists
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nurses
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surgical scrub technicians
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surgical residents
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medical students
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additional logistical help
But you don’t have to be in medicine to make an impact — all you need is compassion, adaptability, and a heart for service.
Want to join us in making a difference? Click below:
Executive Board
David Hudson
President
David lives in Trinidad Colorado where he runs an anesthesia company that also supports offices in New Mexico. David has been a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for 21 years receiving his MHS and CRNA from Texas Wesleyan University and ASN and BSN at Southwestern Adventist University. He is married to Dr. Angel Wright and has three sons. Outside of work he loves skiing, mountain biking, scuba diving, and napping
Erin Ford
Treasurer &
Secretary
Erin has worked in EMS and HealthTech for more than 20 years. She is passionate about supporting healthcare providers by bridging the gap between technology and patient care. She has a BS in Emergency & Disaster Management and a MS in International Business from University of Colorado. Alongside her husband, Chris, she embraces a life enriched by their shared passion for exploring the world through travel.
Dr. Jay Riseman graduated from Southern Illinois University and began his career in renal transplant research before earning his nursing and medical degrees. He completed his surgical residency at Southern Illinois University and practiced surgery until 2009, when he pursued a Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Kansas. Dr. Riseman continued providing compassionate hospice and palliative care until his retirement in 2021. He and his wife, Mary, have been dedicated participants in annual surgical missions since 1993.
Dr. Jay Riseman
Vice President
Mary
McCormick
Volunteer
Coordinator
Mary McCormick obtained her BSN in 1975. During her nursing career, she has worked in Burn ICU, ICU, Surgery, PACU, Urology and Home Health and Hospice. She retired from Nursing in December 2018 and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. She and her husband Jay, have been involved with surgical missions to the third world since 1992. She looks forward to continuing to work with ISM as they expand their outreach for surgical missions.
Jose Guevarra Jr likes to be called Joone. In 1999 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. In 2003 he attained Preceptorship Training in Surgical Technology. In 2009 he attended Training in Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery Instrumentations. Now retired, he is running his business and joined ISM in 2007 on our first mission in the Philippines.
Jose 'Joone' Guevarra, Jr.
Board Member
Tracy Taggart is a trauma surgeon currently practicing in Palm Springs, CA. She has been in practice since 2007, and her first mission trip was in 2010. She has had the privilege of serving on teams in Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Haiti, Guatemala and has joined ISM in the Philippines on four trips so far. She brings extensive surgical and travel experience, a passion for mission work and a “can-do” attitude to the team.
Dr. Tracy
Taggart
Board Member
Roscoe, born in Maryland and raised on the East Coast, has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley with his family since 1999. He is Regional Medical Director and President of Facey Medical Group, where he began as an OBGYN in 1999. He has served as OBGYN Chair, Surgical Peer Review Chair, and on the HMNMH Board for 12 yrs. Roscoe holds an MBA from UMass Amherst and completed leadership training through UCSF and the American Association of Physician Leaders.
Dr. Roscoe Marter
Board Member
Dr. Praveen Prasad began his surgical career in the Indian Air Force before moving to Des Moines, Iowa, where he practiced general surgery for 30 years. Now with the VA Hospital, he cares for veterans. Married to Dr. Shakun, a cardiologist, they have a daughter, Meera, pursuing a PhD at Caltech. Active in homeless outreach and surgical missions worldwide, Dr. Prasad remains dedicated to serving veterans and underserved patients through ISM and global mission work.
Dr. Praveen Prasad
Board Advocate
Remealle was born in Cebu, Philippines and moved to the United States when she was ten years old. She is an active duty trauma surgeon in the United States Air Force stationed in Baltimore, MD where she teaches trauma/combat casualty care to military health care providers and practices as a trauma surgeon at the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.
Dr. Remealle How
Board Advocate
Melissa was born and raised in Iowa and moved to Colorado in 1999 to attend Colorado College. She graduated in 2003 with a double major BA in Psychology and Sociology. After realizing her passion wasn’t in the Psychology field, she graduated with her BSN in 2008. Melissa has spent her whole nursing career working in the NICU, taking care of the tiniest of patients. Melissa began volunteering with ISM in 2016.
Melissa McGinnis
Board Advocate
Kira Bruck, originally from Iowa, earned her nursing degree from NYU, discovering a passion for patient care. She began as a labor and delivery nurse, then joined Duke University Hospital’s ICU team in North Carolina. Inspired by critical care, she earned her master’s in nurse anesthesia from Wake Forest in 2017 and now serves as a CRNA and Clinical Educator at Duke. Committed to global health, Kira has participated in ISM mission trips since graduate school, using her skills to serve communities worldwide.
Kira Bruck
Board Advocate
Veronica Contreras
Board Advocate
A certified surgical technologist with 9+years of experience. Obtained an associate’s of science degree from Brown Mackie College. Has dedicated part of her career to teaching other surgical technologist and sterile processing techs. Her career has led her to become a travel surgical technologist exploring new environments in places like Northern California, Arizona, and El Paso. When not traveling for work she is spending time in her home base of Tucson Arizona with her husband, adult kids and grand babies.