The ACS Board of Governors (BoG) Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards Workgroup has announced the recipients of the 2023 ACS/Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards. The awards are administered through the ACS Health Outreach Program for Equity in Global Surgery (ACS H.O.P.E.), formerly known as Operation Giving Back.
The contributions of the seven award recipients are briefly described in this article and will be formally recognized at Clinical Congress 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts, during the annual BoG reception and dinner Tuesday, October 24. Clinical Congress attendees are invited to hear the honorees speak at the Panel Session, Humanitarian Surgical Outreach at Home and Abroad: Reports of the 2023 Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Award Winners on Monday, October 23.
Academic Global Surgeon Award
Andrea Parker, MD, FACS, and Robert Parker, MD, FACS, general surgeons in Bomet, Kenya, will jointly receive the ACS/Pfizer Academic Global Surgeon Award for their nearly 1 decade of service educating surgical trainees in a medically under resourced country.
Domestic Surgical Volunteerism Award
Ala Stanford, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania, will receive the Domestic Surgical Volunteerism Award for her work in ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, particularly during and following the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Surgical Volunteerism Award
Andrew N. Kingsnorth, MB, BS, FACS, a general surgeon in Plymouth, UK, will receive the ACS/Pfizer International Surgical Volunteerism Award for his more than 20 years of service providing and coordinating surgical services, primarily for hernia repair, in locations around the world.
Resident Surgical Volunteerism Award
Youmna A. Sherif, MD, a global surgery resident at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, will receive the ACS/Pfizer Resident Surgical Volunteerism Award for her 15 years of medical volunteer work in underserved areas around the world.
Military Surgical Volunteerism Award
US Air Force Colonel Kerry P. Latham, MD, MHPE, FACS, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Washington, DC, will receive the ACS/Pfizer Military Surgical Volunteerism Award for her more than 20 years of dedication to providing facial reconstructive operations while also serving in the US military.
Surgical Humanitarian Award
Charles J. Filipi, MD, FACS, a general surgeon in Omaha, Nebraska, will receive the ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Award for his nearly 20 years of humanitarian service providing hernia repair services and encouraging others to volunteer their services in underdeveloped nations.
More detailed summaries of each recipient’s activities can be found in an October Bulletin article, released ahead of the full issue.
