SPRINGFIELD – Ratish Kumar, a biomedical engineer at Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, accepted the TechNation 2025 Humanitarian of the Year award at the annual MDExpo in Temecula, California, on Wednesday, April 16.
Kumar was selected for the honor from nominees throughout the United States in the fields of bioengineering, administration and education. Kumar has been the biomedical engineer at Mission Outreach since 2017. Kumar’s role at Mission Outreach is to prepare equipment for international shipment to partners in low-resource areas around the world and provide technical support, ensuring the items last as long as possible for safe patient care.
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“Ratish’s work to provide high-quality biomedical equipment and technology sets Mission Outreach apart from other medical surplus recovery organizations,” said Erica Smith, executive director of Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach. “Every piece of equipment we send has been tested and is prepared according to the infrastructural capabilities of our international partners. Thanks to Ratish, the hospitals and clinics we work with can trust what they receive is what they can use and is safe for patient care.” Kumar said he was honored to be selected as the 2025 Humanitarian of the Year and appreciates the focus the award gives to biomedical services in the global health care field.
“This award is a great opportunity to showcase Mission Outreach partnerships with the global health care community, serving the most vulnerable among us. The expertise and equipment we bring, paired with the care and commitment of thousands of talented health care providers, provide life and hope.”
Medical equipment that is safe and effective is a tool that physicians, nurses and clinicians can use to save patients’ lives and improve outcomes anywhere in the world. Each year, hospitals in the United States dispose of thousands of pieces of equipment that they no longer use, but are still functional and could be used in low-resource communities that are building health systems that need biomedical equipment and technology.
Mission Outreach is a vital connection between health care colleagues in the U.S. and around the world to promote access to clinical care for all. More than 75% of medical equipment donated to Mission Outreach comes from facilities affiliated with Hospital Sisters Health System. In 2024, Mission Outreach completed 112 shipments of requested medical supplies and equipment, valued at $5 million, to partners in Africa, Central/South America, Eastern Europe and
