ACOMS Fellow Recognized for
Commitment to Global Health
[Washington, DC - May 1, 2008] Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is pleased to announce that Lawrence Herman, DMD, MD is a recipient of the third annual Golden Apple Award. As part of its World Health Day observances, HVO created this award to recognize the extraordinary educational contributions of volunteers to sites abroad. Each volunteer honored with this award has demonstrated a strong commitment to HVO’s educational mission by working on curriculum development, teacher training, didactic or clinical training, or the enhancement of educational resources.
Dr. Herman has been leading and organizing volunteer trips though various organizations for over twenty years and was one of several clinicians involved in the founding of HVO in 1986. Since that time he has completed 16 overseas assignments with HVO in Nepal, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Cambodia and Samoa. Dr. Herman is a mentor for surgeons and residents abroad sharing his time and expertise generously. Sara Runnels, DMD, MD, a fellow HVO oral and maxillofacial surgery volunteer states “his sense of altruism is contagious and on each trip he inspires countless others to pursue a lifetime of volunteerism, new friendships and adventures throughout our world.”
Dr. Herman is currently on staff with Neponset Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, which operate three offices in suburban Boston. Dr. Herman is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Dental Association, the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the Massachusetts Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons among others. He currently serves as Program Director of HVO’s oral and maxillofacial surgery training program in Samoa.
According to recent reports from the World Health Organization, the global shortage of health care workers is estimated to be 4.3 million with the greatest shortages occurring in the poorest countries. The Executive Director of the WHO’s Global Health Workforce Alliance, Dr. Francis Omaswa, commenting on the health care shortage stated, “The single most important constraint is no longer money but skilled workers. It’s being recognized now as a big barrier.”
“I am delighted that Dr. Herman’s contributions to HVO’s oral health programs are being recognized with this award,” said Nancy Kelly, HVO Executive Director. “By highlighting the accomplishments of volunteers like Dr. Herman, we hope to raise awareness of global health issues and of the role that individuals can have in making a difference. Dr. Herman is a wonderful example of someone who is living Gandhi’s exhortation to ‘be the change you wish to see in the world.’”
World Health Day is celebrated annually by the World Health Organization and the international community. Since 1950, it has been held each year on April 7th and focuses on a relevant global health issue. This year’s theme is “Protecting Health from Climate Change.” For more information about World Health Day 2008, visit www.who.int/world-health-day/en/index.html.
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 child health, primary care, trauma and rehabilitation, essential surgical care, oral health, hematology, infectious disease, nursing education, burn management and wound care. 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. To learn more about HVO, visit www.hvousa.org.