A few days into our medical mission in northwest Syria, three weeks after the devastating Turkey-Syria earthquakes hit in February, we met a young boy named Hussein. No older than 4 years old, he was completely distraught, repeating over and over, “I want my father, I want my father,” all while his father stood right next to him, reassuring him. It was as if Hussein was in a trance — he couldn’t hear our questions or his father.

After a severe earthquake hit Turkey and Syria in early February, immediate aid was necessary. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake caused extreme devastation and destruction, killing more than 57,000 people and injuring more than 125,000 others.

When a Baylor College of Medicine psychiatrist learned that help was needed fast, she and third-year psychiatry resident Dr. Dania Albaba traveled with MedGlobal to offer support to those affected, as well as to the doctors working to save lives. They were joined by another resident Dr. Nora Abdullah from UT Southwestern.

For Dr. Sophia Banu, assistant professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, helping people has always been her passion. With immense compassion and empathy, Banu has traveled all over the world to help people during some of the most challenging times of their lives. In the Q&A below, she discusses her most recent aid trip to Bangladesh as well as her other aid trips.