Daniel Bancroft ’16 went from Canton to Tulsa to Ukraine

“My grandpa was Malone’s first basketball coach and served on the board, and my grandma attended Malone when it was still Cleveland Bible College. My aunt, dad, and brother all attended Malone,” said Bancroft. “Malone also had excellent academics, especially for preparing for post-graduate work. Coming here was a family thing—I was very comfortable with that choice.”

Living with his brother, Bancroft balanced rigorous science studies with meaningful friendships and extracurriculars.

“We studied a lot since we were both science majors, but simple things like hanging out in the dorms were a lot of fun. We played a lot of intramural sports and even won the flag football championship, playing the final game at the Hall of Fame Field. I also met my wife at Malone—we were biochemistry lab partners, which meant spending a lot of time together.”

Bancroft, while always focused on his academics, didn’t really see himself going into medicine from the start.

“My dad is a veterinarian with his own practice, and it was my plan to join him. I shadowed my dad for over 600 hours and worked on farms, expecting to join his practice. My brother had the same plan, and we thought we’d all work together. But I felt the Lord saying that wasn’t what I was supposed to do,” he said. “After a lot of prayer, I took the MCAT even though I hadn’t completed all the coursework yet. By God’s grace, I got into medical school on my first try.”
Now in his third year of residency at “In His Image Family Medicine” in Tulsa, he serves as chief resident.

“I am currently the chief resident of our residency program. There are ten residents per class, and a couple of third-years are chosen as ‘junior faculty.’ I attend staff meetings, represent residents, and handle scheduling—if someone calls off at 4 a.m., I’m the one who has to find coverage. It’s a lot of responsibility, but very rewarding.”

His residency also led to international medical mission work.

“When the conflict in Ukraine started we began to send trips there. I was supposed to go on one of the trips, but my wife was having complications with our second pregnancy, so I decided it wasn’t the right time to go. She was on bed-rest for months, and the Lord taught us a lot about patience and trusting him through that.”

After a bit of time, the call to Ukraine remained in Bancroft’s mind.

“After our second child was born, our program’s director told me there was another trip going to Ukraine and that I should pray about it. At the time I couldn’t imagine leaving my wife and kids. However, we prayed about it and my wife told me that I should go,” said Bancroft. “After I said yes, I realized that we were going to a city that was actively being shelled, but the first week that we were there ended up being the first week that the city was not shelled which was one of the many ways God intervened and kept us safe. The goal was to partner with a lot of the churches in town to set up makeshift clinics. We had interpreters who spoke Russian, and with their help we would see people, diagnose and treat them with free medicine, and give them medical advice for the future. The churches were the only safe water supply in the city, so people would come to get water and see that there was medical care and get that as well.”

In light of a dangerous situation, Bancroft was still able to show the love of Christ to those he was treating.

“Because of the proximity to the front lines, tanks would often roll by at night rattling windows as Ukraine would reposition its troops. As a result, many of our patients asked why we would come here. We could then tell them that we felt God had called us to come help and show the love of Christ. As a result, many people were saved! But just as significant I think, Christians who were already serving there were able to see that the Body of Christ in America is deeply concerned about their well-being. Seeing and experiencing the love of Christ amongst our brothers and sisters in Ukraine was remarkable; it reminded me that the global Church transcends national boundaries and I found that deeply moving. The unity of our group, consisting of three different countries, was nothing short of miraculous.”

Whether his work brings him back to the Midwest or overseas, Bancroft is ready for the challenge.

“All of my professors at Malone pushed me really hard. The classes were academically rigorous and that helped prepare me for medical school. The foundation they laid was phenomenal. All of my friends who went on to medical school would say the same thing; we all felt very prepared.”