Tram Jones BBA ’10 is a physician working in a Haitian-run medical clinic in Port-au-Prince. The clinic is supported by the U.S.-based nonprofit Light from Light, whose executive director is Hannah Jones AB ’12, Tram’s wife.
How did you become interested in creating your podcast, Overseas?
Tram Jones: We’d been in Haiti for about a year. It’s a hard place for people to live, and I wanted to tell those stories. We discussed how to get the word out, and we decided a podcast was a pretty good way.
Some of the medical cases you share are difficult to discuss. How do you find the strength to do that?
Tram Jones: Telling the story makes it easier to deal with. It gives dignity to the patient. This is not just a child who is nameless who’s suffering. This child matters. Their life matters. If we can tell the story, at least the child isn’t suffering in anonymity.
I also try to tell non-medical stories that are more uplifting, like what the daily life is like in Haiti.
Your podcasts are short—about 10 minutes each. Is that by design?
Tram Jones: I prefer the conciseness. It’s perfect to have just one story. Also, I think it gives some freedom. If a story is sad, you aren’t dwelling on it for an hour or two.
Hannah Jones: Tram can’t say this about himself, but I can because I’m not directly involved in the podcast: He tries to find the balance of honesty with emotion by laying the facts out without imparting it in the end. To do that with emotional stories is hard. So much of what you hear could have a value judgement or an overt emotion applied to it, and that’s not the point. Tram’s point is to share stories, not to have an agenda about how that lands with the listener.
You end each podcast with a message encouraging others to learn about Haiti. Why is that important?
Tram Jones: Countries get put in a box. There is poverty here; I’m not denying that. But Haiti is a diverse country, and there is value in people speaking about their experiences. I’m a foreigner, and I’ve only lived in Haiti for one year. Certainly that gives me an interesting outlook, but it is by no means the whole picture.
Moving forward, are there subjects you’d like to explore? 
Tram Jones: One thing I have not done yet, but would be open to, is interviewing people. There are a number of people working at the clinic with me, and their stories are incredible.
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