Dr. Helmut Diefenthal was born in Germany in 1924. He attended medical school at free University Berlin, graduating in 1949. Early on, he decided that his goal was to become a medical missionary. In 1956, he was sent to Malaysia by the German Institute of Medical Missions. After four years there and a sabbatical in theUnited States, he was transferred to Tanzania, known then as Tanganyika, where he stayed until 1965.

Dr. Diefenthal studied radiology at the University of Minnesota from 1965 to 1970. He returned to Tanzania to work at the newly built Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center from 1970 to 1972. Then, he returned to Minnesota to put his children through college. He worked again at the university and at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Minneapolis until 1988.

Dr. Diefenthal and his wife, Rotraut, decided to retire in Tanzania. However, the word "retire" hardly describes their vigorous schedule: heading the efforts of the East Africa Medical Assistance Foundation in Tanzania, treating patients at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center and organizing the curriculum for the new college, overseeing the residency program and teaching Tanzanian assistant medical officers at the Kilimanjaro School of Radiology, and continually seeking out volunteers to assist him and contributors to help fund the efforts of the foundation. He also regularly returns to the University of Minnesota Hospital as a visiting radiologist, learning the latest techniques and teaching new residents.