Rick Hodes, an American doctor living in Ethiopia, speaks to more than 120 students and faculty in the Cambridge Community Center on Tuesday, March 25.

He planned to stay in Ethiopia for only a year as a relief worker, but American doctor Rick Hodes found a passion for helping the African country’s sick and underprivileged that has kept him there for more than 25 years.

Hodes stood before more than 120 students and spectators in the Cambridge Community Center last night, wearing a multicolored striped hat with tassels at its tip, handmade by one of his patients.

“If you speak in America, you must wear this hat,” Hodes remembered the patient telling him.

The doctor spoke to the crowd about his experience living and working in Ethiopia. Several university students in attendance said they were familiar with Hodes from their own travels to Ethiopia on alternative breaks and observing his work.

Zoe Klein, a senior psychology major, went to Ethiopia on an alternative winter break trip through the university’s Hillel, a Jewish student group, in January 2013 and this year with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, an international relief agency. 

“His work changed my life,” Klein said. “And he changed how I saw my future. I definitely want to go into medicine in the global health field after seeing what he’s doing.”

Hodes is the JDC medical director in Ethiopia and provides treatment, primary care, immunization and family planning for people there. Patients flock to him for care, Klein said.

“His waiting room was full,” Klein said. “He’d just take patient after patient after patient.” 

Accompanied by photos, maps and statistics, Hodes discussed his background, patients’ stories and some medical history of the country. Ethiopia’s life expectancy is 59 years — the life expectancy of the U.S. in 1929. 

“My life changed because of this kid,” Hodes said as he showed a photo of Bewoket, a boy who suffered from congestive heart failure, malnourishment, an enlarged heart and hepatitis B. 

“If you have one of those things, you have a good chance of dying,” Hodes said. “If I was a betting person, I would not bet that this guy was going to live.”

Bewoket needed medication to get rid of excess fluid, but the drug was not readily available. So Hodes drove out to find it, bought the syringes, alcohol and medication, and administered it to the child. 

For a while, Hodes received constant phone calls regarding Bewoket’s condition, and eventually he decided it would be best to take the child into his own home. The hepatitis B got worse.

“Something needed to be done, and I didn’t know what,” Hodes said. 

After reading about a study that treated 32 patients with a new drug, Hodes thought the child might benefit from it, but it was a risk, he said.

“Every week, he looked better and stronger than the week before,” Hodes said. “He became OK, and it was amazing that we completely cured him.”

Sometimes, Hodes sends patients to other countries for treatments — Ghana for spinal traction to treat tuberculosis and India for heart surgery. 

Hodes, who has also treated patients with a variety of cancers, raises funds to support surgeries and procedures. He’s fostered 17 children and put them on his own health insurance plan to get them the help they need.

“Every single patient, I say to them, ‘What’s your dream, what do you want to be when you grow up?’” Hodes said. 

Hodes closed his lecture with a question-and-answer session, discussing his typical workdays and his family.

Miles Pulitzer, a junior accounting major, attended the event, and although Hodes’ work doesn’t relate directly with his field of study, he said it’s still relevant. 

“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, he’s going to hit home somewhere,” Pulitzer said. 

On the alternative break trip to Ethiopia in January, Pulitzer saw Hodes in action. 

“I spent my Friday night Shabbat dinner with him,” Pulitzer said. “Everyone knows: His house, Friday night, is the place to be.”

Upon her return from her first trip to Ethiopia, Klein created JDCU, a campus initiative supporting the JDC. For several months, the group worked with Elisabeth Maring, the College Park Scholars Global Public Health director, to have Hodes speak at this university.

JDCU and Global Public Health Scholars have been raising money to help fund a surgery and continued to collect money at the event. 

“Really, he’s trying to get his name out there to get people to support his work so he can save more lives,” Klein said.