Saturday, November 6, 2010

Op Walk Boston 2011 Kickoff

Welcome to Op Walk Boston 2011! I am pleased to report that planning and preparation for the next mission to the Dominican Republic is already well underway. The date of the 2011 mission has been set: March 23rd - March 30th, 2011. With less than five months left to go, much work has already been done to ensure another successful and productive trip.

In late October, members of the Op Walk Leadership team Roya Ghazinouri (Mission Coordinator), Dr. Kanu Okike (Medical Coordinator), and Paul Laemmle (Operating Room Coordinator) went down to the Dominican republic for a preliminary visit. By all accounts, the trip was a resounding success. 75 Potential candidates for joint replacement surgery who had been identified by Dr. Alcantara and the DR team over the past few months were screened for eligibility. 56 patients who met the mission's inclusion criteria were selected to be brought back for preoperative testing. In addition to patient selection, existing cargo supplies were reviewed and cargo needs for March's mission were determined. The visit was greatly aided by Dr. Alcantara and his local team (including many medical students), who were very well prepared and helped to ensure that planning proceeded smoothly.

We are all very excited to be returning (or making our first visit) to the Dominican Republic in March! This blog will be updated regularly with events related to Op Walk as they unfold over the coming months, and we encourage you to visit the blog regularly to learn more about our progress and about how you can help support our efforts.

Operation Walk Boston Leadership team:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Dr. Thomas S. Thornhill
Chief Operating Officer (COO): Roya Ghazinouri
Chief Medical Officer (CMO): Kanu Okike, MD
OR Coordinator: Paul Laemmle, RN
Nursing Coordinator: Barbara Aggouras, NP
PR and Marketing Coordinator: Mary Ellen Kelly

Board of Directors:
Dr. Thomas S. Thornhill
Roya Ghazinouri
Dr. Richard Scott
Dr. David Mattingly
Dr. Mercedes Concepcion
Dom Dinardo
Dr. Jeffery N. Katz