Volunteer Connection

The winners of this years Medical Diplomat Awards were announced at this year's "Celebrate the Nations" Gala Reception. We are proud to honor each of these volunteers for the amazing contributions they have made to Physicians for Peace programs, as well as their hard work and dedication, healing countless lives around the world.

The winners are...

Physician Category - Dr. Chris Walters

Dr. Chris Walters, who specializes in podiatric medicine, is a long time Physicians for Peace volunteer, leading missions to Eritrea since 2004. Dr. Walters has been the primary fundraiser, collecting over $1 million dollars in original retail value of in-kind donations of orthopedic equipment. Dr. Walters has also pioneered new surgical techniques for limb reconstruction of severe deformities which are not seen, well-understood, nor treated in the US. These novel techniques, which are safe, reproducible, and sustainable in the developing world are soon to be published for educational purposes for dissemination to other developing nations.

Dr. Keith Goss, who works closely with Dr. Walters on surgery missions, accepted the award for him at the Gala. (below)

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Health Professional (Non-physician) Category - Gil Mejia, C.P.

Gilberto Mejia, a certified prosthetist, has guided the prosthetists in Dominican Republic towards higher standards of care, embodying the Physicians for Peace philosophy. When Gil first started providing training the clinic in Dominican Republic was making as few as 7 prosthesis a week, and not making them very well. Seven years later, the same clinic has a robust staff, is known for their quality of service, and is a self sustaining operation that makes over 30 prosthesis a week.

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Mission Support Category - John Knight, M.P.H.

John Knight has worked with Physicians for Peace for many years and is the founder and champion of the Seeing Clearly Program, one of the many sustainable programs in the Philippines. The program, first launched in the Philippines, has been a huge success due to John’s leadership and hard work and is now being replicated in Haiti and other countries around the world. In addition, Mr. Knight serves on the Physicians for Peace Medical Operations Committee and has gone on five PFP missions to the Philippines with his sixth mission scheduled for this October.

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Congratulations to the winners and to all our volunteers who help support them in the work they do, and who make our medical missions possible every day.

To learn more about our volunteer medical missions, visit our web site at www.physiciansforpeace.org

Looking for ways to help people in need? Ashley Mogul found a way to use her creativity to support Physicians for Peace international health programs:

"As a premed student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I have always been interested in the combination of community service and healthcare. Having come across this organization, I believe it is the perfect opportunity to do my part. I designed a shirt with the theme of "peace" in mind and am selling them for $18 with all proceeds benefitting Physicians for Peace. Please visit my web site to purchase a shirt and show support for medical volunteer work to improve third world health care."

You can get Ashley's t-shirt here: www.unc.edu/~mogul/peace.html

Buy two or three to give to friends and family!

Do you have a creative idea you can use to help Physicians for Peace? Email us at info@physiciansforpeace.org and let us know so we can feature you on our blog!

Thank you Ashley for your support!