Since 1969, Dr. Gerber has worked in some of the poorest countries of Asia and Africa, retiring in 1998 as Director General of the African Medical Research Foundation and its well-known Flying Doctors. He served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines, and has held voluntary positions on numerous non-profit and international organization Boards. Until July of 2007 he was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), in the Philippines. He lives in Portugal with his wife.