Organizations

Dr. Ruffin (left) at the APROQUEN Burn Unit in Nicaragua.

Vivian Pellas, burn survivor and founder of the Association for the
Burned Children of Nicaragua.

In recognition of its 20th anniversary, Physicians for Peace is honoring 20 Health Care Heroes in 2009, individuals who embody the organization's mission and goals to teach, heal, and empower both patients and caregivers. The Physicians for Peace Burn Care Program is a true success story in changing lives and building health care capacity for countries in need. We would like to honor Dr. Willcox Ruffin and Ms. Vivian Pellas as 20th Anniversary Care Heroes for their roles in the creation of this program which has helped so many individuals heal from the trauma of burn injury.  

The Burn Care Program was conceived when Physicians for Peace founder Dr. Charles E. Horton, Sr. visited Nicaragua in 1992.  Based on the medical education needs he identified, a team of plastic surgeons, including Dr. Willcox Ruffin, traveled to Managua and Leon in 1994. Dr. Ruffin, a devoted plastic surgeon, has served as Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Sentara Hospitals, Chief of Plastic Surgery at the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, and Director of the Burn Unit at Norfolk General Hospital. He has helped countless patients through his work with Physicians for Peace, and now retired from medical practice, serves on its Board of Trustees.

His purpose on that first mission to Managua was to advance medical expertise in the management of burn care, and to upgrade patient care within a burn unit built by the founder of Asociación Pro-Niños Quemados de Nicaragua (APROQUEN), Ms. Vivian Pellas. Vivian, a burn survivor herself, has devoted her life to improving the quality of care for burn victims in Nicaragua. The facility Vivian Pellas has helped to build, with the knowledge and support of plastic surgeons like Dr. Ruffin, has been able to treat tens of thousands of patients in need. With partners like Vivian, Physicians for Peace has been able to help burn clinics in other Central American countries provide better care and prevention for burns. 

 

The Burn Care Program has continued to grow and expand to include not only training and education, but the establishment of an international burn consortium. APROQUEN is now one of 19 equal partner organizations that comprise the Asociación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Quemaduras (Central American and Caribbean Burn Association) in six countries (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.) This Association was formed in 2006 by Physicians for Peace and is dedicated to advancing pediatric burn care in Central America and the Caribbean through training, knowledge exchange, and global collaboration.

You can ensure that this program, started with the compassion and cooperation of Dr. Ruffin and Vivian Pellas, continues to help third world countries treat and prevent burn injuries and help burn victims heal. By contributing to our volunteer medical missions and international health programs, you help bring healing to a suffering world. 

Make your donation today!