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AREA SURGEON LEADS MEDICAL TRIP TO NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC
by Samantha West
East Aurora Advertiser
http://www.eastaurorany.com/articles/2012/08/01/news/doc5012f8bdcb32d742624075.txt
Aug 1 2012
NY
"Hope for tomorrow" - this is the mission of the aptly named
local charity, the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation. Elma resident and
Williamsville phlebologist Dr. Hratch Karamanoukian has assisted
in turning this goal into a reality with his recent trip to the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), a republic bordering Armenia. There,
Karamanoukian established the country's only current vein health
center, donated several pieces of crucial machinery, and performed
more than 100 free surgeries to patients in need.
Phlebology is a branch of medicine that focuses on vein health.
Karamanoukian, who trained originally as a cardiovascular surgeon,
has spent the past seven years specializing in vein procedures. He
is Armenian by descent, although he was born in Lebanon; his family
moved to California in 1976 to escape the Lebanese civil war, and
Karamanoukian then moved to Buffalo to complete his medical schooling
at the University at Buffalo. He is the director of the Vein Treatment
Center in Williamsville, and has written 32 books on health care for
both doctors and patients.
Karamanoukian, along with more than 30 supporting doctors, students,
and volunteers, were in the NKR from May 24 to June 3. "We went there
because they have a big need for health care," Karamanoukian told the
East Aurora Advertiser and Elma Review. There, his main priority was
establishing a state-of-the-art vein center, which offers the newest
vein treatments, unprecedented in the area. Karamanoukian and his
mother also donated a portable Doppler ultrasound machine and a laser
machine to the Central Republican Hospital in the NKR. This machinery
is used for endovenous laser treatment procedures, which are modern,
minimally invasive techniques for treating venous problems. The NKR
is currently in the process of constructing a new building for the
Central Republican Hospital; the vein center will be incorporated
into the new structure as a series of suites once it is finished.
Karamanoukian recognized the importance of providing health care that
would last beyond his time in the NKR. "I always try to leave something
behind, to teach procedures, and to provide the means to carry them
out," he said. Besides donating equipment, he and the seven other
doctors who accompanied him trained the Armenian staff in the latest
vein surgeries. "They were still using traditional vein stripping
techniques that we don't do here anymore," said Karamanoukian.
They also worked to incorporate medical students into the experience.
Ten students from Daemen College, D'Youville College, and the
University at Buffalo accompanied the doctors for some experience with
vein surgeries. "It's very important to train the next generation
to give back," said Karamanoukian. "It's something all health
professionals need to learn... whether it's here in Buffalo or
overseas." Overall, the group performed more than 100 free procedures
for the people of the NKR.
Karamanoukian has traveled with the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation
several times in the past. Trips overseas include work in Peru,
Ecuador, Haiti, Vietnam, Poland, and the Dominican Republic, to name
a few. The two most recent popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, have
both taken an interest in the foundation, blessing it and bringing it
to the attention of the public for its charity work. The foundation
also uses funds raised to pay travel costs for severe cases, so that
patients requiring extensive surgery may be brought to the U.S. for
their procedures.
The foundation does not have any solid plans yet regarding the next
travel destination. "I, personally, will be returning [to the NKR]
in September," said Karamanoukian. He will also be bringing his
brother with him, who is currently a plastic surgeon in California.
The doctors who accompanied Karamanoukian are Craig Blum, from
Children's Hospital; Robert Smolinski and Mark Anders, both from ECMC;
Jeffrey Meilman, a plastic surgeon who is also the chairman of the
Hope for Tomorrow Foundation; Jack Kottart, a doctor based out of
Florida; Claudia Smolinski; and Jack Huebschmann, an anesthesiologist.
For more information on Karamanoukian's trip, books, or other medical
experience, visit www.veinsveinsveins.com.
From: Baghdasarian
by Samantha West
East Aurora Advertiser
http://www.eastaurorany.com/articles/2012/08/01/news/doc5012f8bdcb32d742624075.txt
Aug 1 2012
NY
"Hope for tomorrow" - this is the mission of the aptly named
local charity, the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation. Elma resident and
Williamsville phlebologist Dr. Hratch Karamanoukian has assisted
in turning this goal into a reality with his recent trip to the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), a republic bordering Armenia. There,
Karamanoukian established the country's only current vein health
center, donated several pieces of crucial machinery, and performed
more than 100 free surgeries to patients in need.
Phlebology is a branch of medicine that focuses on vein health.
Karamanoukian, who trained originally as a cardiovascular surgeon,
has spent the past seven years specializing in vein procedures. He
is Armenian by descent, although he was born in Lebanon; his family
moved to California in 1976 to escape the Lebanese civil war, and
Karamanoukian then moved to Buffalo to complete his medical schooling
at the University at Buffalo. He is the director of the Vein Treatment
Center in Williamsville, and has written 32 books on health care for
both doctors and patients.
Karamanoukian, along with more than 30 supporting doctors, students,
and volunteers, were in the NKR from May 24 to June 3. "We went there
because they have a big need for health care," Karamanoukian told the
East Aurora Advertiser and Elma Review. There, his main priority was
establishing a state-of-the-art vein center, which offers the newest
vein treatments, unprecedented in the area. Karamanoukian and his
mother also donated a portable Doppler ultrasound machine and a laser
machine to the Central Republican Hospital in the NKR. This machinery
is used for endovenous laser treatment procedures, which are modern,
minimally invasive techniques for treating venous problems. The NKR
is currently in the process of constructing a new building for the
Central Republican Hospital; the vein center will be incorporated
into the new structure as a series of suites once it is finished.
Karamanoukian recognized the importance of providing health care that
would last beyond his time in the NKR. "I always try to leave something
behind, to teach procedures, and to provide the means to carry them
out," he said. Besides donating equipment, he and the seven other
doctors who accompanied him trained the Armenian staff in the latest
vein surgeries. "They were still using traditional vein stripping
techniques that we don't do here anymore," said Karamanoukian.
They also worked to incorporate medical students into the experience.
Ten students from Daemen College, D'Youville College, and the
University at Buffalo accompanied the doctors for some experience with
vein surgeries. "It's very important to train the next generation
to give back," said Karamanoukian. "It's something all health
professionals need to learn... whether it's here in Buffalo or
overseas." Overall, the group performed more than 100 free procedures
for the people of the NKR.
Karamanoukian has traveled with the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation
several times in the past. Trips overseas include work in Peru,
Ecuador, Haiti, Vietnam, Poland, and the Dominican Republic, to name
a few. The two most recent popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, have
both taken an interest in the foundation, blessing it and bringing it
to the attention of the public for its charity work. The foundation
also uses funds raised to pay travel costs for severe cases, so that
patients requiring extensive surgery may be brought to the U.S. for
their procedures.
The foundation does not have any solid plans yet regarding the next
travel destination. "I, personally, will be returning [to the NKR]
in September," said Karamanoukian. He will also be bringing his
brother with him, who is currently a plastic surgeon in California.
The doctors who accompanied Karamanoukian are Craig Blum, from
Children's Hospital; Robert Smolinski and Mark Anders, both from ECMC;
Jeffrey Meilman, a plastic surgeon who is also the chairman of the
Hope for Tomorrow Foundation; Jack Kottart, a doctor based out of
Florida; Claudia Smolinski; and Jack Huebschmann, an anesthesiologist.
For more information on Karamanoukian's trip, books, or other medical
experience, visit www.veinsveinsveins.com.
From: Baghdasarian