Bio for Dr. Kate Jewell, Naturopathic Doctor, Humanitarian, Retired AA AttendantAs a young FA in 1979, I was selected to work in Nepal as the “stewardess” volunteer for The Tom Dooley Foundation. I was part of an immunization team working in Gorkha Nepal. The experience changed my life as I learned the value of traveling to help others and experience the people and culture of a country rather than just the sites and tourist spots.
I joined Airline Ambassadors and participated in several “flying Doctor” missions in El Salvador and Guatemala in the 1999 In 2005, I used my experience and expertise in the field as well as my PhD and background as a naturalistic doctor and wrote the AAI Health Handbook as a simple reference for AAI volunteers to teach health basics on their missions.
In March 2011, I participated with an AAI mission team to Tokyo for earthquake/tsunami relief. I returned to Japan on my own late April to set up a relief program for FAs flying NRT. With the help of Steven Samuals, the flight crew manager of the Tokyo Hotel, I sorted through a mountain of donations brought over by flight attendants and coordinated with Hands on Tokyo (HOT)to have them delivered to the Fukushima are. I set up a program for flight attendants to bring over specifically needed items designated by HOT each month which were then collected and sent north. This program lasted until the fall when HOT said that the shops were beginning to open up north and donations were no longer necessary.
In 2015, I joined the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute Board of Directors (FAMRI). This organization was formed from a class action suit brought on behalf of non-smoking flight attendants against the tobacco industry. The suit brought damages for diseases and deaths caused to never-smoking flight attendants from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in airline cabins. FAMRI’s mission is to sponsor scientific and medical research for the early detection and cure of decease and medical conditions caused from exposure to tobacco smoke.
In 2015, after the devastating earthquake hit Nepal, I coordinated with AAI, Dooley Intermed and Mission Himalaya to create AAI volunteer missions for the orphans of the EcoHome in the Saankhu Valley about 1-1/2 hours from Kathmandu.
This year, I coordinated with PATA,( Pacific Asia Travel Association) to bring Nancy Rivard to Kathmandu to speak on Human Trafficking at the Himalayan Travel Mart. This is an accomplishment as in 2015, when I first broached the subject of even mentioning the problem of trafficking in Nepal, I was sharply rebuked and told that, yes, this was a problem in Nepal but we aren’t going to talk about it. Now, Nancy’s presentation on Trafficking was warmly received by the 1,000s attending the event. We’ve come a long way baby!
I was also able to coordinate visits for Nancy with Maite Nepal’s founder Anoranda Khorala and SASANE’s founder Shyam Pokyal. In May 2019, I worked with Nancy on a grant proposal for the Legacy Foundation of Isigenix.
I have just finished updating and rewriting the Health Handbook to become the Wellness Manual used for a pilot training in 5 countries. .