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FAR Legacy Helping to Promote Volunteerism in Armenia

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  • FAR Legacy Helping to Promote Volunteerism in Armenia

    PRESS RELEASE
    Fund for Armenian Relief
    630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
    Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
    Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Website: www.farusa.org

    November 30, 2004
    ____________________

    FAR FELLOWS SERVE AS PIONEERING PROFESSIONALS:
    The Legacy of the Fund for Armenian Relief's Medical Fellowship Program

    Volunteerism in Armenia?

    Whoever says Armenians in Armenia do not have the mindset to volunteer
    and help their brethren has not encountered the FAR Fellowship Alumni
    Association (FAR FAA).

    The most recent example of FAR FAA's volunteerism is the October 10-13,
    2004 follow-up medical mission to Karabagh, led by Dr. Gevorg Yaghjyan,
    a plastic reconstructive surgeon from Yerevan. In August, the team of
    doctors examined more than 60 patients to select candidates for surgery
    and provide medical care to young and old alike. During the October
    mission, four surgeons performed 10 operations at the Shushi Hospital
    and the Stepanakert Republican Hospital. Not only were services free,
    the doctors also brought their own medical supplies for the mission.

    In addition to performing the surgeries, Dr. Hovsep Shamakhyan, a burn
    surgeon and Head of the Department of Combustiology in Yerevan,
    conducted six lectures on burns treatment, infusion therapy, first aid
    during burns, and post-burn rehabilitation. Dr. Yaghjyan also presented
    a lecture on the use of flaps for the treatment of burn defects.
    Participants attending the FAR FAA seminars, promoted by Karabagh's
    Ministry of Health, included doctors and staff from regional hospitals.

    Legacy of FAR's Medical Fellowship Program

    In 2000, close to 80 Armenian physicians formed FAR FAA, a nonprofit
    organization composed of the leading healthcare professionals in Armenia
    who selflessly work to improve the healthcare system, advance the
    medical sciences in Armenia, and provide free medical care for orphans
    and indigents. The alumni association is a testament to the giving,
    caring spirit of all Armenians.

    FAR FAA's founding members are the participants in FAR's Medical
    Fellowship Program. Between 1990 and 1998, these Armenian doctors
    received three months training in (a) medical training - learning the
    latest western medical techniques and specialties, or (b) health care
    management - learning the modern concepts of organization, support,
    finance and administration of hospitals at the University of California
    Los Angeles, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Cornell University
    Medical Center, and the University of Michigan Medical Center under the
    patronage of FAR.

    Dr. Edgar M. Housepian, Vice Chairman of the FAR Board of Directors and
    Chairman of FAR's Medical Committee, directed the FAR Fellowship
    Program. "I am extremely pleased with this group of young men and
    women. They are taking what they saw and the lessons they learned here
    in the U.S. and applying them in Armenia. They are proud to be Armenian
    and helping the Armenian people," said Dr. Housepian. "It reflects well
    on FAR too, that, years later, our program has evolved independently and
    is resulting in good works and volunteerism in Armenia." Dr. Housepian
    continues to maintain regular contact with the Fellows, three of whom
    have served as Armenia's Minister of Health.

    FAR FAA's Accomplishments

    In less than four years, FAR FAA has established the Armenian Diabetes
    Association, an epilepsy clinic, a neurological center, and cancer
    clinics. It has promoted the specialization of neuromuscular disease,
    provided support for laparoscopic surgery, and authored articles and
    books on medical practices and discoveries.

    FAR FAA has hosted or co-sponsored several health seminars, conferences,
    symposiums and training programs in Armenia and partnered with other
    professional associations and international and charitable foundations.
    Last year, with a successful grant proposal, it launched the Salzburg
    Medical Seminars, a joint venture with the Austrian American Foundation
    and the Open Society Institute, a part of the Soros Foundation network,
    to help the next generation of Armenia's doctors gain access to
    fellowship opportunities and participate in international professional
    organizations.

    Today, FAR FAA membership has expanded to include other motivated
    doctors in Armenia who did not partake in the FAR Medical Fellowship
    Program but care about the welfare of their communities and country.
    For more information about FAR FAA, please visit its websites:
    medlib.am/welcome.html and www.farfaa-salzburg.am.

    About FAR

    FAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York,
    with offices in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Stepanakert. For 15 years, FAR has
    implemented various relief, development, social, educational, and
    cultural projects valued at more than $250 million. It is the
    preeminent relief and development organization operating there.

    For more information on FAR and our medical and health projects, contact
    us at 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150,
    fax (212) 889-4849; www.farusa.org, [email protected].

    -- 11/30/04

    E-mail photos available upon request.

    CAPTION1: FAR FAA members Dr. Gevorg Yaghjyan, Dr. Hovsep Shamakhyan,
    Dr. Mushegh Israelyan, and Dr. David Barseghyan traveled to Shushi and
    Stepanakert on a medical mission. Here, they are preparing the
    operating room, checking the integrity of equipment and collecting sets
    of instruments for the surgeries.

    CAPTION2: Dr. Shamakhyan conducted six one-hour lectures in the
    auditorium of the Stepanakert Maternity House on topics such as burns
    treatment, infusion therapy, first aid during burns, and post-burn
    rehabilitation. Dr. Yaghjyan also presented a lecture on the use of
    flaps for the treatment of burn defects.

    CAPTION3: Two surgeons taking a break between surgeries on the FAR FAA
    medical mission to Karabagh.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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