[Washington, DC - April 23, 2013] Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is pleased to announce the American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS) has increased its commitment to HVO through renewed sponsorship. AAHS, an inclusive organization that welcomes members from many disciplines who are interested in the care of the upper extremity, will provide essential support to HVO orthopaedics and hand surgery programs and impart opportunities to contribute to transforming global health through education to their membership.

"The partnership between AAHS and HVO will help improve the quality and availability of hand care in developing countries around the world," said Nancy Kelly, HVO Executive Director. "AAHS members are a welcome group of highly-qualified hand specialists who can provide essential teaching and training to local providers where they are needed most."

In addition to general support for HVO's orthopaedics and hand surgery programs, AAHS has partnered with HVO to create a fellowship in hand surgery for highly skilled hand specialists to travel to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana. Surgeons and therapists from AAHS will provide essential teaching and training to their local counterparts and residents at KATH.  

"For centuries, doctors have been coming to North America from developing countries to train," said Dr. Don Lalonde, president of AAHS in a recent report from his own trip to Ghana. "The goal of this fellowship is to bring the training to the developing country where the surgical trainees are likely to stay. For our members who take advantage of this fellowship opportunity to impact hand care overseas, this will be a priceless life experience."

With a membership of over 1,100, AAHS represents a diverse but cohesive mixture of highly respected professionals working in all disciplines of hand surgery and hand therapy. Members include orthopedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, general surgeons, microsurgeons, hand therapists, nurses, and basic scientists from the United States, Canada, and many other countries. The AAHS's mission is to foster and promote the highest quality of hand care through the development and sponsorship of educational programs related to the hand and the upper extremity, through communications with health care professionals and the public, and through the endowment of research. Working with its Hand Surgery Endowment, the AAHS and HSE together promote global hand health and international volunteerism. More information on the AAHS and HSE's initiatives may be found on the AAHS website.

A private, nonprofit organization, Health Volunteers Overseas has sought to improve global health through education of local health care providers since 1986. HVO designs and implements clinical and didactic education programs in child health, primary care, trauma and rehabilitation, essential surgical care, oral health, blood disorders and cancer, infectious disease, nursing education and wound management. In more than 25 resource-poor countries, HVO volunteers train, mentor, and provide critical professional support to health care providers who care for the neediest populations in the most difficult of circumstances. In 26 years of service, HVO's training has transformed lives - of local health care providers, of their colleagues and patients, and of HVO volunteers themselves. For more information, please visit the HVO website.