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Volunteer Recognition

The 2006 HVO Golden Apple Winners


Mattilou Catchpole, CRNA, PhD
Dr. Catchpole is currently a Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She was selected for this recognition for her work as co-director of HVO’s first program training nurse anesthetists, which took place in Guyana. During her tenure as co-director she used her knowledge and experience of curriculum development to design the program into semesters with specific courses and hours of study. This format served as the foundation of HVO’s future nurse anesthesia programs. Dr. Catchpole was nominated by the chair of the nurse anesthesia steering committee who states, “With the Guyana program, [Dr. Catchpole] demonstrated persistence and competence in getting the program established, maintaining the program and following through to see the eventual registration of the nurse anesthesia program graduates that successfully passed the Guyanese Certification Exam.” Dr. Catchpole is not only recognized for her dedication to the Guyana program, but also for her numerous years of volunteer work with HVO. As a volunteer since 1993, Dr. Catchpole has volunteered frequently with four different programs. She is well respected in the medical community for her enthusiasm and fostering of volunteerism.

Ray Defalque, MD
Dr. Defalque is retired from his position as a Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Dr. Defalque was selected for this recognition for his volunteer work in Vietnam and Peru, training anesthesiologists. Since Dr. Defalque’s first volunteer assignment in Vietnam he has made a major commitment to the program, volunteering on five different occasions. During his visits to the Hospital of Traumatology and Orthopaedics (HTO) in Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Defalque gave a wide variety of lectures that were always regarded as informative, well presented and pertinent to the staff’s needs. In addition, he would spend long days and weekends in the hospital, as well as contributing any extra time he had to the Emergency Department. The director of Anesthesia at HTO noted that, “Dr. Defalque has lots of energy; he has truly established an excellent rapport with the staff at HTO.” Recently, Dr. Defalque has transferred that same passion and dedication to his volunteer work in Peru. Dr. Defalque has established an on-going relationship with his Peruvian colleagues in Arequipa after his first two visits and is will make a third visit this year. Nominated by two of the anesthesia program directors, it is apparent as noted by the program directors that, “Dr. Defalque has excelled in many of the aspects this award recognizes: curriculum development, teaching training and mentoring of faculty, student and clinicians both clinically and didactically.”

Nancy Descoteaux, PT, BAC
Ms. Descoteaux is currently a Physiotherapist at the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont in Montreal, Canada. She was nominated for this recognition by the co-directors of the Haiti program for her work in Haiti training rehabilitation aides and curriculum development. Ms. Descoteaux first traveled to Haiti as a volunteer with HVO in 2003. Since then she has returned several times including a six month stint in 2004, despite the travel warning that was issued that necessitated HVO’s suspension of the program. During this time Ms. Descoteaux was often the only volunteer at the site as most volunteers deferred their travel due to the civil unrest. Her presence allowed for the training program to continue, without her there would have been no class that year. In addition to her dedication to the program on site, while at home in Montreal she also took on the daunting task of translating the English-only curriculum into French. As stated by one of the program directors, “[Ms.Descoteaux’s] work on this project was invaluable – it allowed students to now have class materials that they could readily read, and also freeing them up from tedious note taking. The work required countless hours of translation and continues today under her supervision.” Her volunteer efforts both in Haiti and at home truly went above and beyond a regular volunteer assignment.

Denise English, PT
Ms. English currently works as a physical therapist in Pennsylvania. Ms. English was selected for this recognition for her dedication to training rehabilitation aides and caregivers with the physical therapy program in Haiti. Since her first volunteer assignment in 2002, Ms. English has traveled to Haiti numerous times – often dedicating up to eight weeks of her time at the site. She was even willing to continue volunteering independently after HVO had to close the program due to the political situation. In addition to the many hours Ms. English spent teaching and training in Haiti, she also volunteered hundreds of additional hours from home with work on curriculum development for the program as well as being co-program director. Ms. English was nominated for this award by her fellow program director who noted Ms. English “is committed to offering care to the disabled of Haiti, the most desperate group in a desperate country. Her compassion for Haiti and its people in need is equaled only by her passion for doing a good job.”

Charles Jennings, MD
Dr. Jennings is currently in private practice in Great Falls, Montana and is on the board of trustees of the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand. He was selected for this recognition by his peers for his work in Honduras training hand surgeons. Before his arrival in Honduras, there were no trained professionals responsible for hand care at the main government hospital. However, with Dr. Jennings’ assistance the local coordinator was able to receive a fellowship to study hand surgery for 6 months in the United States and upon return to Honduras was appointed Director of the Plastic Surgery Training Program. The local coordinator now has two plastic surgery residents under his supervision and with the help of Dr. Jennings and other volunteers the education of these two residents has carried on. Dr. Jennings is highly regarded by staff, residents and patients, as well as credited with aiding in the significant improvement in replantation and plastic surgery skills of the local staff. He has been nicknamed the “Hand Surgery Godfather” by the plastic surgery staff for his amazing effort and dedicated to this program.

Marvin Lang, CRNA
Mr. Lang is currently retired from his position as Chief Nurse Anesthetist at the Hennipin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was selected for this recognition by his peers for his work in Cambodia and Belize training nurse anesthetists. Mr. Lang was nominated by the chair of the Nurse Anesthesia steering committee, who notes “Mr. Lang is a remarkable person. When he heard that we needed him in Belize, he accepted month long assignments when most volunteers served only 2 weeks.” During his time in Belize he primarily worked with the senior students in the clinical area helping them sharpen their skills in regional anesthesia. Most recently he has devoted his time and energy to the new nurse anesthesia program in Cambodia – where he has volunteered five times in the last few years. He has not only contributed his time in educating the staff but also donated much needed supplies and other resources to improve the hospital. He is regarded by the hospital staff as someone who has been most effective in helping to bring about positive change in Cambodia.

Robert Nassau, MD
Dr. Nassau has retired from his pediatric practice in Brattleboro, VT. He was selected for this recognition for his work in Cambodia training pediatricians at the Angkor Hospital for Children. In 2001 Dr. Nassau began his volunteer work in Cambodia and his dedicated and generosity to HVO’s pediatric program at AHC has only grown over the years. For the last six consecutive years he has fulfilled one-month volunteer assignments at the hospital giving lectures, mentoring and spending time with hospital’s doctors consulting on patients. Not only has Dr. Nassau volunteered much of his time at the hospital but he also supports their efforts year round in many ways. Even when he is at home in Vermont he finds time to serve on the Board of Directors for the hospital, host fund-raising events, search for specific pieces of medical equipment the hospital needs, and collect supplies and textbooks to carry out with him on his next trip. To top it all off he also spends many hours speaking with upcoming volunteers to AHC to help prepare them for their assignments. Nominated by the Medical Director of AHC who notes, “It’s not just one special thing that Dr. [Nassau] does that makes us want to nominate him for the award; it’s because of the endless number of things he does for us throughout the year. His commitment to helping us and the children of Cambodia is extraordinary and is certainly deserving of recognition.”

Tim O’Brien, MBBS
Dr. O’Brien has been selected for this award because of his exceptional dedication as a volunteer educator in HVO’s dermatology education training program in Peru. His first trip to Peru took place during the inaugural year of the program in 2004. Since then he has return to the site again in 2005 and a third trip this year. During the course of his trips he has established meaningful long term relationships with his Peruvian colleagues who he trains. He has also organized the donation of many texts and equipment. While back in Melbourne he continues his service to the program by organizing visits for Peruvian trainees to observe in clinics at major Melbourne teaching hospitals. He has also gained support of this activity from the Australian College of Dermatologists. For these efforts he is commended by his Peruvian counterparts as well as the program director of the Peru dermatology program who nominated Dr. O’Brien. The program director states, “His dedication deserves to be recognized and honored.”

Alfred Scherzer, MD, MS, EdD
Dr. Scherzer is currently a Clinical Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Weill-Cornell Medical College as well as the Developmental Pediatrician at SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine in Riverhead, NY. He was selected for this recognition for his work with the HVO pediatric training program in Cambodia at the Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC). Over the past two years Dr. Scherzer has made three volunteer trips to the program. On his initial trip he recognized the glaring need for training in developmental disability identification and management at the hospital. As a result, he has established training workshops for the hospital staff and for the ancillary personnel at associated country-side clinics. In addition, he has helped to revise neurology forms and developmental assessment records as well as developing a Khmer language questionnaire to assess awareness of disabilities. Dr. Scherzer is commended for his many efforts at AHC by all of the hospital staff and the program director who nominated him for this award. The program director remarks, “Dr. Scherzer has been an exceptional resource for this new hospital and his enthusiasm for his specialty has been contagious.”

Geoffrey Walker,FRCS
Professor Walker has been selected for this award because of his exceptional dedication as a volunteer educator at HVO’s orthopaedic training program in Ethiopia. For the past 20 years Professor Walker has been a key player with the Residency Training program at the Black Lion Hospital. In addition, he has dedicated his time and efforts to developing the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery for the medical faculty of the Addis Ababa University while ensuring the quality of education and expertise for the trainees. This is the only orthopaedic training program in Ethiopia, and over 40 graduates from the program now provide orthopaedic surgical care in the major provincial hospitals across the country. Recently he has promoted the organization of the Ethiopian Society for Orthopaedics and Traumatology in order to provide the orthopaedic surgeons of Ethiopia a forum for discussion and national involvement. Professor Walker’s commitment to the training program has helped to ensure the retention of skilled orthopaedic surgeons and educators. The program director for the Ethiopian program who nominated Professor Walker states, “Through all these years Professor Walker’s role in communicating and coordinating the efforts of the Ethiopia program has been invaluable.”

Harry Zutz, MD
Dr. Zutz is currently retired from private practice but has remained active in the Dover Community Clinic and End-of-Life Care. He was selected for this honor due to his extraordinary dedication to the educational mission of HVO’s anesthesia programs in Africa. Dr. Zutz has spent almost twenty years as a volunteer teacher and program site director with HVO, first in Uganda and then in Tanzania. Despite the inevitable frustration one may encounter due to working in medical education systems that are underfunded and understaffed Dr. Zutz maintained his enthusiasm for the job. He notes that his experience volunteering with HVO, “has been the most gratifying of my medical career, with no close second.” Besides volunteering several times with the Uganda and Tanzania programs he has dedicated a tremendous amount of his time as a program director - preparing volunteers to teach effectively at these sites. He has been especially appreciated as a mentor for the SEA-HVO Traveling fellows, who as senior residents volunteer in Tanzania for a full month. As a result of serving as the program director for Tanzania since 1997 he has gained a special knowledge and experience which he can then share with the residents – giving them the tools and necessary information that allow them to teach confidently in a country and culture complete new. In addition to the time and expertise he has given as a program director has also generously donated many educational materials over the years. He is commended for his efforts and endless energy.

Click Here to View 2008 Winners.

Click Here to View 2007 Winners.



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