Newswise — SAN FRANCISCO: Earlier this evening, two members of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) were recognized for their selfless efforts as volunteer surgeons who provide care to medically underserved individuals as recipients of the 2011 Surgical Volunteerism Award of the College and Pfizer. Louis L. Carter, Jr., MD, FACS, Lookout Mountain, TN, received the Surgical Humanitarian Award and Girma Tefera, MD, FACS, Madison, WI, received the Surgical Volunteerism Award for international outreach.
The Surgical Volunteerism Awards were presented in conjunction with the award program’s sponsor, Pfizer, Inc., during the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors dinner, which is one of the highlights of the College’s 2011 Annual Clinical Congress being held this week in San Francisco, CA. The volunteerism award is given “in recognition of those surgeons and surgical residents committed to giving something of themselves back to society by making significant contributions to surgical care through organized volunteer activities.”Dr. Carter received the 2011 American College of Surgeons/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Award, which recognizes surgeons who have dedicated a substantial portion of their career to ensuring the provision of surgical care to underserved populations without expectation of commensurate reimbursement.
A native of Memphis, TN, Dr. Carter has given what amounts to nearly a lifetime of service to the underserved. He was a missionary surgeon in Nigeria for 10 years, beginning in 1974 and, since 1987, he has made numerous mission trips to serve the underserved around the world, including 75 trips in the past 16 years to 26 different countries.
After receiving a medical degree in 1964 from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, he pursued surgical education and training as an intern (1965-1966) at Parkland Hospital, Dallas, TX; a general surgery resident at Veterans Administration Hospital, Memphis (1966-1967) and at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Parkland Hospital, Dallas (1969-1973); and a fellowship (1973-1974) in orthopaedic surgery and urology at Methodist Hospital, Dallas, TX. Dr. Carter’s residency was interrupted when, from 1967 to 1969, he served in the U.S. Air Force, including a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam. Currently, he is a missionary plastic and hand surgeon working with Serving in Mission (SIM) International and Christian Medical and Dental Associations; an assistant clinical professor of surgery, in the departments of plastic and orthopaedic (hand) surgery at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga; and is on staff at Erlanger Medical Center, Chattanooga, TN.
Dr. Carter’s medical mission work started after he completed medical school, but before he began his internship and residency, when he and his wife Anne spent five months in Tanzania working in a mission hospital. In 1974, after becoming board certified in general surgery, Dr. Carter took on full-time medical missionary service at the Egbe Hospital in Egbe, Nigeria, a position he held for seven years. In order to develop the skills necessary to address reconstructive surgery needs he encountered through his mission work, Dr. Carter returned to the University of Tennessee, Memphis, in 1981, to undertake a residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery. He completed the residency in 1983 and was on the plastic surgery staff at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, from 1983 to 1984. Dr. Carter became a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery in 1985, before returning to missionary service at Evangel Hospital, Jos, Nigeria (1985-1987). In 1987, Dr. Carter returned to the U.S., but still made regular mission trips to remote hospitals in Africa, even while he cared for patients at the Plastic Surgery Group and what is now Hayes Hand Center, both in Chattanooga, and served as an assistant clinical professor of plastic and orthopaedic (hand) surgery at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. He returned to full-time medical missionary work in 1996 and was, at the time, the only American full-time missionary plastic and hand surgeon, working with SIM U.S.A., which provides medical care for underserved patients in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, Niger, Tanzania, India, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Uganda, Zambia, and Malawi. During a typical two-month mission at an underserved hospital, Dr. Carter and his wife teach local, national, and other missionary physicians basic plastic and hand surgery techniques through a program known as “Home Schooling for National and Missionary Doctors.” The program teaches the physicians additional techniques and incrementally raises their skill level and also provides an opportunity to supply the hospital and health care workers with donated books, equipment, and supplies. Dr. Carter’s work has created a legacy of knowledge and skills that equip surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals with the ability to care for a wide range of medical conditions.
Dr. Tefera, associate professor, division of vascular surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, was given the Surgical Volunteerism Award for international outreach in recognition of his significant contributions toward improving the delivery of surgical care in Ethiopia, his homeland. During semiannual trips, his work has been dedicated to creating strong and effective partnerships that further health care delivery in Ethiopia, which has steadily increased both the influence and range of his work there.
Determined to make a difference in Ethiopia, Dr. Tefera pursued medical education abroad, receiving a medical degree from the University of Pisa, Italy (1982). He then returned to Ethiopia and served for five years as a military surgeon. Upon resuming his surgical training, Dr. Tefera traveled to Germany where he earned a general surgery diploma from Friedrich Stadt Hospital, Dresden, Germany (1988-1992). He then moved to the U.S. to serve as a general surgery intern at DC General Hospital (1993-1994) and a general surgery resident at Howard University Hospital (1994-1999), both in Washington, DC, and then as a fellow in vascular surgery at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1999-2000).
Initially, Dr. Tefera’s work in Ethiopia entailed serving as a volunteer surgeon to help rectify physician shortages. Gradually, as he built relationships in both Ethiopia and the U.S., he started recruiting U.S. colleagues for organized surgical visits to Addis Ababa University to provide educational and training support, supplies, and equipment for Ethiopian surgeons. This work eventually turned into a bilateral exchange that allowed Ethiopian surgeons to travel to Wisconsin for training in trauma management, surgical oncology, and laparoscopic surgery. Over the course of the past four years, Dr. Tefera’s broad-based efforts have further resulted in significant investment in the long term health care needs of Ethiopia, including expansion of the surgical workforce and a formal academic partnership between the University of Wisconsin and Addis Ababa University. His strategy has been aimed at developing infrastructure and training health care workers according to the needs of specific areas. In 2009, the American International Health Alliance, with funding provided by CDC/PEPFAR, awarded Dr. Tefera, his colleagues, and the diaspora organization P2P Inc. a grant to strengthen emergency medical services in Ethiopia by increasing the skill level of health care providers and building infrastructure. This year, Dr. Tefera is leading an additional partnership with Addis Ababa University. This medical education collaboration is funded through the Ethiopia-Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The partnership will create more opportunities for medical education and an increase in the number of health care workers in Ethiopia.
Drs. Carter and Tefera bring the total number of recipients of the ACS Surgical Volunteerism Award to 25, since the award was inaugurated in 2003. The surgical volunteerism awardees are determined by the ACS Governors Committee on Socioeconomic Issues, and the awards are administered through the ACS Operation Giving Back program.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 77,000 members, and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit http://www.facs.org (.)
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