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Christopher Johnson, MD, FACS Recognized for
Commitment to Global Health

[Washington, DC April 20, 2007]

Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is pleased to announce that Christopher Johnson, MD, FACS is a recipient of the second annual Golden Apple Award for his volunteer efforts with the hand surgery program in Honduras. Over the past four years, Dr. Johnson has been made six trips to Honduras to teach residents in the hand surgery program at the Hospital Escuela. He has provided expertise and guidance to the residents and faculty on a range of hand pathologies including some relatively uncommon hand operations, such as thumb reconstructions or toe transfers. Dr. Johnson provided lectures at conferences to discuss the various hand surgical problems that were being tackled by his fellow surgeons.

Through his unwavering encouragement and support, the treatment of hand pathology patients greatly improved. Dr. Luis Gonzalez, the on-site coordinator for the Honduras program who nominated Dr. Johnson for this award states that, “he has been the cornerstone of the country’s hand surgery program, through his patience with our trainees and the strong relationships he has built with all those involved. I believe with continued assistance from volunteers such as Dr. Johnson, we will be able to revolutionize the treatment of hand surgery in the whole country.”

A private, non-profit membership organization, HVO was founded in 1986 to improve global health through education. HVO designs and implements clinical education programs. 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.

“I am delighted that Dr. Johnson’s contributions to Honduras are being recognized with this award,” said Nancy Kelly, HVO Executive Director. “By highlighting the accomplishments of volunteers like Dr. Johnson, we hope to raise awareness of global health issues and of the role that individuals can have in making a difference.”

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