How Dr. Tom Catena has saved countless lives as the sole surgeon in the war-torn Nuba region of Sudan—and how you can help
by Dr. Peter Attia
With global news flooded with stories of conflict and violence, it’s easy to grow numb and slip into a sense of resignation—a sense that the world is just a brutal place, and how could one person ever hope to change anything? But even when international affairs seem most bleak, I remind myself of one person who has been quietly bringing about that change for the last 20 years—and continues to do so to this day—in a region often forgotten by the rest of us.
It would be hard to overstate the goodwill and hope that Dr. Tom Catena brings to the world. As a missionary surgeon in war-torn Sudan, Dr. Catena—affectionately known as “Dr. Tom” by those with whom he works—serves millions in need. Indeed, my entire vocabulary seems insufficient for describing my admiration for this man and his work, an admiration that has only grown since I interviewed him on the podcast nearly seven years ago (and referred to him as the “world’s most important doctor”). Thus, I will instead allow his mission to speak for itself—and hopefully to inspire others to be a part of the change he is creating.
A life of service and courage
As a college athlete at Brown University, Tom Catena felt called to a life of service, motivating his decision to pursue a career in healthcare. After completing his residency in family medicine, Tom sought to apply his training as a missionary physician in Kenya, gaining skills in surgery and infectious disease treatment in order to better care for the underserved, rural communities of that region. Yet while he was there, Tom learned of an area still more desperate for health services.
In the nearby country of Sudan, the isolated region of the Nuba Mountains had been a target of religious and political violence, and health facilities for handling the number of injured and infirm were virtually non-existent. Thus, Dr. Catena worked with Catholic officials to establish a facility to serve the Nuba people, and in 2008, he moved to one of the most dangerous areas in the world to take the helm of the new Mother of Mercy Hospital. For three years, he oversaw a meager staff of seven nurses, anesthetists, and lab technicians from Kenya and Uganda (he was the only physician), as well as a growing number of untrained staff members from the local Nuba region.
But in 2011, civil war erupted across Sudan. All foreign members of the hospital staff fled the country for safety—all except Dr. Catena. Despite encouragement to evacuate, Tom felt a deep responsibility to the 750,000 Nuba people who would otherwise have no options for medical care, and he remained alongside local staff even as the hospital itself was targeted by air raids over the years of conflict that ensued. Seeing hundreds of patients each day as the sole surgeon in the war-ravaged region, Dr. Catena has saved countless lives with unimaginably limited resources, and his courage and humanitarian efforts were recognized in 2017 when he was awarded the second annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity.
New challenges for the mission
Though peace was declared in early 2020, the reprieve would not last. War broke out again in 2023, displacing millions of Sudanese, many of whom sought refuge in the Nuba region. Food shortages have led to a declaration of famine in the area, exacerbated by a blockade against humanitarian aid.1 And over the past year, Nuba itself has become a target for attacks, with the Sudanese army massacring untold numbers of civilians in what the United Nations has called “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”2
But even against this nightmarish backdrop, the hospital has persisted in its mission. With the help of their philanthropic partner, African Mission Healthcare, they’ve expanded their volume of patients and built new satellite clinics in response to the crises. Dr. Catena is the only surgeon for the estimated three million individuals currently in the region, and in 2024, Mother of Mercy provided care for around 300,000 patients—including an astounding 2,642 major surgeries. The hospital’s 19 outpatient clinics further extended this impact, handling an additional 212,000 patient visits. Among those treated have been hundreds of children suffering from malnutrition, individuals of all ages who have sustained life-threatening injuries during the ongoing conflict, and over one thousand expectant mothers. To further expand access to care and ensure the future of healthcare in the region, Mother of Mercy has also instituted a training school, which recently graduated its first class of 19 physician’s assistants. All of this has been accomplished on a shoestring annual budget of just over $3 million, which covers every medication, procedure, piece of equipment, operating cost, and salary for the whole hospital and training school.
Still, the conflict is taking its toll. Resources in the Nuba region—and at Mother of Mercy Hospital—have been strained by the influx of refugees, even as the ongoing violence and famine drive greater need for life-saving medical care. Indeed, despite condemnation by the UN, there appears to be no end in sight for the attacks against civilians. Just over the last two weeks, at least 162 people— most of them children—have been killed in strikes on schools and a hospital in the area.3
But if we can learn anything from Dr. Catena, it’s that each of us, even in the face of unspeakable horrors, has the power to stand as a force for good in the world—whether through a lifetime at the front lines or through small gestures of support wherever possible.
How you can help
As I said at the outset, Dr. Catena’s impact and courage defies overstatement, and by the time of our interview seven years ago, he was already recognized as one of the world’s great humanitarians. He’d received numerous awards, and his work had been the subject of a documentary film, The Heart of Nuba. Yet one of his most striking qualities during our conversation was how readily he praised the sacrifices and contributions of others for the work and progress that has taken place at Mother of Mercy Hospital over the years—from those working alongside him to the patients who would travel miles on foot to the hospital, and from a New York Times reporter who brought attention to the work4 to the donors who have helped to keep the hospital going. “Everybody has something to contribute,” he said, and I write this newsletter in an effort to spread that message to all who might find hope and inspiration from Tom’s story.
The simplest way to support the work of Dr. Catena and the Mother of Mercy Hospital is by donating through African Mission Healthcare (https://africanmissionhealthcare.org/donation/catena/). The hospital has proven to be incredibly resourceful in maximizing the impact of every dollar they receive, and every little bit helps. For instance, just $25 per month for one year (less than $1 per day) covers the cost of an entire surgery, while a donation of $6,600 pays for the full training of a physician assistant, each of whom will go on to treat an estimated 80,000 patients over the course of their career. (Compare this to the US, where PA training programs typically run well over $100,000.) I don’t feel I could share this request for donations without noting that my family and I have been supporting Tom since I first met him in 2018, and I’ve truly felt that helping to support his work has been one of the great philanthropic privileges of my life.
Beyond financial contributions, you can also support the hospital by raising awareness of their life-saving work and of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Share this newsletter or additional coverage of Tom’s work with others (e.g., The Heart of Nuba documentary or resources on the African Mission Healthcare website).
So the next time you feel cynicism or resignation over world events, remember that you do have the power to create change, even for just one person at a time. As Tom put it, “it’s a huge privilege to have the opportunity to affect one person…somebody that can laugh, and can cry, and can play, has aspirations, and is a living, breathing human being…It’s everything to that one person.”
References
- Popoviciu A, Peterson G. Aid blocked as “unimaginable suffering” grips Sudan’s Nuba Mountains. The New Humanitarian. June 25, 2025. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2025/06/25/aid-blocked-unimaginable-suffering-grips-sudans-nuba-mountains
- Sebouai L. Sudanese army accused of massacring civilians in Nuba mountains. The Telegraph. December 1, 2025. Accessed December 10, 2025. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/sudanese-army-massacre-civilians-in-nuba-mountains/
- Ir D. Suicide drone strikes a kindergarten, killing 45 Sudanese children. defapress.ir. December 8, 2025. Accessed December 10, 2025. https://defapress.ir/en/news/86973/suicide-drone-strikes-a-kindergarten-killing-45-sudanese-children
- Kristof N. “He”s Jesus Christ’. The New York Times. June 17, 2015. Accessed December 10, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-hes-jesus-christ.html