Louisville, KY (November 8, 2012) - Dr. Bill Smock, Police Surgeon for the Louisville Metro Police Department and Medical Director for The Institute of Clinical Forensic Medicine and Nursing, has accepted the position as Medical Director for WaterStep, a local organization that works to save lives at risk from waterborne illness around the world. In his role as Medical Director, Dr. Smock will work to connect WaterStep with others in the medical community who could benefit from the tools and training that the organization offers. Dr. Smock will leverage his experience and relationships to build awareness and support of the organization's work to fight the global water crisis, which is responsible for the death of more than 3.5 million people each year.

After years of international medical mission work, Dr. Smock was inspired to include safe water projects as part of the trips in order to enhance the longevity of the medical efforts and better sustain health. After completing training at WaterStep in June, he went on a medical mission trip to Kenya and successfully conducted two medical clinics and installed safe water at an orphanage. 

As one of the panelists of the First Annual IF Water Conference in September, Dr. Bill Smock gave a very moving talk when he shared the real live cases of people he treated on his trip who were ill due of the lack safe water. This weekend, at the Global Missions Health Conference held at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Smock and other WaterStep team members will discuss these very issues in the exhibit hall of the conference.

"It didn't make sense for us to dispense medicine for illnesses that we knew would come back as soon as the medicine was gone because of unsafe water," says Smock. "Giving communities the ability to supply themselves with safe water is preventative medicine and leads to better overall health in the long term."

In February 2013, Dr. Smock will travel to Uganda to attend a special Tropical Medical Expedition, and upon his return will work with WaterStep to bring a similar conference to Louisville and couple it with safe water training. This will be the first event of its kind in the United States.

"It's surprising how little safe water is a part of international medical outreach," says Mark Hogg, Founder and CEO of WaterStep. "Over the years, WaterStep has dreamt of coupling medicine and water, but we needed a navigator to best connect the medical community with our training and technology. Dr. Smock brings us the leadership of an experienced and internationally traveled medical professional, and his endorsement is unique for a water organization like ours. His friendship is priceless and his passion is captivating. We're honored."

Dr. Bill Smock graduated from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky in 1981 and then obtained a Master's degree in Anatomy from the University of Louisville. Bill graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1990 and completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Louisville in 1993. He was the first physician in the United States to complete a fellowship in Clinical Forensic Medicine. Bill joined the faculty at University of Louisville's Emergency Medicine in 1994 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 2005. He is currently a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Bill has edited 3 textbooks on clinical forensic medicine and published more than 30 chapters and articles on forensic and emergency medicine.

WaterStep is a Louisville-based 501(c)(3) organization that provides solutions to waterborne illness through training and technology to empower self-sufficiency for people in crisis around the world. WaterStep is currently working to establish training centers in India, Costa Rica, and Haiti. To learn more, call (502) 568-6342 or visit www.waterstep.org.

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