Doctor on the go

The line forms early every day that Stuart Embury and his team are in Haiti. For nearly three decades children, adults and the elderly, many of whom might have died without surgery or specialized medical care, have been served by the annual trip of this physician.

A member of Bethel Lutheran Church, Holdredge, Neb., Embury is reticent to speak about the work he's done and what it has meant to a country in need. But it hasn't gone unnoticed.

Embury received the national Humanitarian Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians, which represents more than 93,000 doctors and medical students nationwide.

"It came as quite a surprise," said Embury, afamily practice physician at Family Medical Specialties in Holdredge and head of the medical staff at Phelps Memorial Health Center.

His mission work began with a trip to the island of St. Lucia soon after he finished medical school.