A Lifetime of Giving: Paul Quintana on Medicine, Humanity and Why He Supports GPA

Dr. Paul and Lee Quintana sit down for a chat with GPA

At 84, Dr. Paul Quintana has completed 176 medical mission trips around the world, specializing in cleft lip, palate repair and burn reconstruction. A pediatrician and neonatologist who spent his career at Kaiser Permanente, he contributed to the Spanish pediatric section of the landmark public health manual Where There Is No Doctor, a book that Global Pediatric Alliance uses in its work today.

For 23 years, Paul and his wife Lee have been steadfast supporters of GPA, drawn not just to the organization itself, but to the concept it embodies: empowering Indigenous women and strengthening community-based healthcare in rural Mexico and Guatemala. In this conversation, Paul reflects on what drives his commitment to global health, the essential role of donors, and why, after decades of witnessing both triumph and heartbreak, he still believes in showing up.

Paul, tells us about your specialty and what you're most proud of in your medical career.

I don't just take care of the kids—I take care of the family. Because the family is raising the child, so taking care of the child is a way to care for the whole family.

There's a famous public health book called Where There Is No Doctor. GPA uses it. I wrote the Spanish pediatric section of the first edition. I was in Burma one time and some guy raised his hand and said, "Your name sounds familiar. Did you contribute to a book?" They were reading Where There Is No Doctor to help with their care. That was an important moment for me.

As a pediatrician, that's how I got into my first trip. Then I fell in love with travel, and more importantly, with the people I met from totally different cultures, countries, and languages. They were all impressively human. I realized there's a humanity among all of us.

Why do you think people should support GPA?

The job GPA is doing is really important, not only for women, but because a woman is part of a family. She has children and grandchildren.

Supporting GPA isn't just about supporting OB/GYN or deliveries. It's really about supporting the concept of family, of children, and in a broader sense, the importance of women in households, in communities, and ultimately in society and politics.

Why do you choose to give back in other countries?

There's great need at home, but here in the U.S. we have a safety net that is not present in many other countries. I can walk down the streets of Los Gatos, San Jose, San Francisco, or New York and not see a single kid with a cleft palate. At 18, you and I were worried about pimples. We didn't have a cleft palate, massive open lip that could be closed and fixed in one hour so we could walk the streets without anybody staring. That's one of the reasons I do it—that's a big impact.

Once I was in Cusco with my wife, and this guy in the center of town came up and gave me a big hug. He said, "Don't you remember me?" I said, "No, I'm sorry, I don't." He said, "You were here a year ago with a team. Look"—and he parted his mustache to show a thin scar—"At 18 years of age, you fixed my lip. I'm now engaged and I'm going to be a school teacher because you guys fixed my lip."

That doesn't happen to me in Los Gatos, California.

How do you hope your involvement can help an organization like GPA be effective?

That My donation can help GPA reach people and do the work. That kid with the cleft lip—who should he thank? The guy in Cusco thanked me. But he should have thanked my donor. I was there only because of the donor. That's how important a donor is.

The donors couldn't do it without the doctors either.

True. But I think you need donors who share the mindset of the people they're supporting.

Tell us about your history with GPA.

We've been donating since about 2002 or 2003, pretty close to when GPA first started making trips down to Guatemala and Mexico. So about 23 years. We're pretty loyal.

You mentioned humanity being an important part of taking your work to other places. Can you say more about that?

I worked in Kaiser Permanente, a big medical organization, and part of what I tried to do was to encourage other doctors to travel and contribute their skills. I'd say, "Hey, I just came back from Nepal, let me tell you what I saw there. Why aren't you going?" If you can't go because you have families or work or whatever reason, you can still donate. You can donate your time, you can donate your money, or you can do both. Sometimes it's about being a role model.

What are some of the challenges you've faced?

I've been on these trips and I've lost patients—usually in Peru, because we didn't know they didn't have a respirator, or that the oxygen was cut off at 3 in the morning. We were very upset about it. The Peruvian family said, "Tell your team we understand death. We live with it."

This kind of experience teaches you something different.

What's kept you going back, despite witnessing many things that have been really hard?

I love the people. Everywhere I've gone, I've really enjoyed the people, the company, the work, the results, no matter what they are. I've enjoyed working with other people—surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses—who are giving up vacations, giving up money, giving up time, risking their lives, in many cases.

Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but we're there. And that says something. The ability to be there says something, doesn't it?

Thank you Paul, GPA is incredibly grateful for your and Lee's support.