The ACS, in association with Pfizer, Inc., is accepting nominations for the 2023 Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards. All nominations must be submitted through the ACS nominations page by March 3, 2023.
The ACS/Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism Award, offered in Domestic, International, Military, and Resident categories, recognizes surgeons committed to giving back to society by making significant contributions to surgical care through organized volunteer activities. Read more about expectations for Volunteerism Awards.
Three Volunteerism Awards were presented in 2022:
Eid B. Mustafa, MD, FACS
Dr. Mustafa received the ACS/Pfizer International Surgical Volunteerism Award for his more than 30 years of volunteer surgical and medical services to the people of the Palestinian West Bank, in addition to other underserved areas of the Middle East. Most years, Dr. Mustafa traveled to the West Bank for between 10 and 21 days. His initial efforts focused on congenital defects, burn care, and reconstruction from injury.
As his missionary work evolved, he recruited a multidisciplinary team aimed at the needs of each individual community, including specialists in urology, orthopaedics, peripheral vascular surgery, off pump cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, and physical therapy.
Alexis Bowder, MD
Dr. Bowder received a Resident Surgical Volunteerism Award for her 10 years of volunteer work in practice, education, and research, primarily in Haiti.
Even with ongoing political strife primarily in the capital of Port-au-Prince, she takes regular trips to Haiti where she shifted the focus of her clinical and education efforts to also include St. Boniface Hospital in Fond-des-Blancs. While continuing to participate in daily rounds and postoperative care of patients, Dr. Bowder dedicates time to developing the surgical research skills of the Haitian medical students, residents, and faculty, and supported their clinical research.
Matthew Goldshore, MD, MPH, PhD
Dr. Goldshore received a Resident Surgical Volunteerism Award for his work to help establish the Center for Surgical Health (CSH) in Philadelphia, PA, which serves as an access point into high-value surgical care for patients who typically rely on the emergency room for treatment.
Recognizing that changing the landscape of surgical care for vulnerable populations requires a multipronged approach including improving access to surgical consultation and operative intervention, interdisciplinary public health and clinical outcomes research, and beyond, Dr. Goldshore implemented a one-to-one, patient-centered system which CSH collocates at health centers for assessment of surgical disease.
