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For Immediate Release
April 7, 2009
Contact: Nancy Kelly of Health Volunteers Overseas
Email: N.Kelly@hvousa.org or 202-296-0928
or Armi Hall, Orthopaedic Center
(970) 419-7140 or info@orthohealth.com
Fort Collins Doctor, 7 Others Recognized
for Commitment to Global Health
[Washington, DC – April 7, 2009] — Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is pleased to announce the recipients of its fourth annual Golden Apple Award, one of whom is a retired surgeon from Fort Collins, COand founder of the Orthopaedic Center of the Rockies. As part of its World Health Day observances, HVO created this award to recognize the extraordinary educational contributions of volunteers to international program sites.
Each HVO volunteer honored with this award has demonstrated a strong commitment to HVOМ_s educational mission by working on curriculum development, teacher training, didactic or clinical training, or the enhancement of educational resources.
The recipients of the 2009 Golden Apple Awards are: Benedict Magsamen, MD, of Fort Collins, CO; Caroline Dueger, MD, MPH, DTM&H; Kim Dunleavy, PT, PhD, OCS; Richard Henker, PhD, RN, CRNA; Elizabeth Kay, PT, PhD; Barbara Latenser, MD, FACS; Joseph E. Sheppard, MD; and David Spiegel, MD. These volunteers combined have served over 8,160 hours at HVOМ_s various program sites.
Manyhonorees served in leadership positions for HVO overseeingnew programs, monitoring the progress of active programs, identifying educational resources for sites, and serving as mentors tocolleagues overseas.
МВMargaret Mead said, МЗanything that really embodies our deepest commitment to the way that human life should be lived and cared for, depends on some form of volunteerism.М_ These volunteers have made such a commitment to serve in areas where resources are scarce but the interest in learning is vast,МЁ said Dr. David Frost, HVO Board Chair. МВI am proud of the work these volunteers are doing to improve health care around the world.МЁ
According tothe World Health Organization, the global shortage of health care workers is estimated to be 4.3 million, with the greatest shortages occurring in the poorest countries. The Global Health Workforce Alliance stated, МВThe global community has clearly recognized that the health workforce is the very heart of functioning health systems, and that without greater quantity and quality of motivated, equally distributed health workers, progress towards health and development goals will not be possible.МЁ
The efforts of HVOМ_s Golden Apple Award recipients are an integral part of HVOМ_s response to the global health workforce shortage. By highlighting the honorees’ achievements and contributions, HVO fosters an awareness of global health issues, especially the human resource shortage, which serves as a serious constraint to the delivery of health care around the world.
World Health Day is celebrated annually by the World Health Organization and the international community. Since 1950, it has been held each year on April 7th and focuses on a relevant global health issue. This yearМ_s theme is МВSave lives. Make hospitals safe in emergencies.МЁ It focuses on the need for building secure health care facilities that can withstand hazards and serve as a safe haven for treatment. For more information about World Health Day 2009, visit www.who.int/world-health-day/en/index.html.
A private, non-profit membership organization, HVO was founded in 1986 to improve global health through education. HVO designs and implements educational programs in child health, primary care, trauma and rehabilitation, essential surgical care, oral health, hematology, infectious disease, nursing education, burn management and wound care. In more than 25 resource-poor nations, volunteers train, mentor, and provide critical professional support to health care providers who care for the neediest populations in the most difficult of circumstances. For more information about volunteering, visit the HVO web site (www.hvousa.org).
More Information on Dr. Ben Magsamen Follows:
Dr. Magsamen, a surgeon who was one of the founders of Orthopaedic Center of the Rockies, performed volunteer service in orthopaedics on four continents. The Orthopaedic Center, founded in 1969, has offices in Fort Collins and Loveland.
Early in his surgical career,Magsamen was an assistant professor and this background has been fully evident in his enthusiasm for teaching. He has shared his knowledge of orthopaedics through the teaching of medical students and doctors in local hospitals and medical schools. He has also taught during medical rounds and instructed in the operating room during surgeries, to provide hands-on clinical knowledge. In his international work,Magsamen emphasized basic orthopaedic skills that were appropriate to the local environment as well as simple procedures that vastly improved medical care, such as infection control measures.
Magsamen, who is retired, was a pioneer in the advent of joint replacement surgery in Colorado, played a key role in the development of Poudre Valley HospitalМ_s orthopaedic surgery capabilities, and served as a team physician for professional and college football and basketball teams. He was as an elected member of the Board of Councilors for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and served as a board member of the Colorado Orthopaedic Society. He has been a member of HVO since 1997.
МВI am delighted that Dr. MagsamenМ_s contributions to HVO program are recognized with this award,МЁ said Nancy Kelly, HVO Executive Director. МВBy highlighting the accomplishments of volunteers like Dr. Magsamen, we hope to raise awareness of global health issues and the role that individuals can have in making a difference.МЁ
Magsamen’s volunteer missions:
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Afghanistan, June 1979
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Honduras, February 1982
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Peru, January 1998
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St. Lucia, April 1998
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Malawi, May 1999
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Bhutan, May 2000
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Vietnam, February 2003
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Costa Rica, May 2004
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Uganda, May 2007