[Washington, DC - April 7, 2021] Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is pleased to announce the recipients of the sixteenth annual HVO Golden Apple Award. As part of its World Health Day observances and in celebration of World Health Worker Week, HVO recognizes the extraordinary contributions of HVO members, volunteers and supporters. Each individual honored with this award has demonstrated a commitment to HVO’s mission to improve global health through the education, training, and professional development of the health workforce in resource-scarce countries.
The recipients of the 2021 Golden Apple Award are: Habib Ghaddar MD, FACP; Dorey Glenn, MD, MPH; Michael Linden, MD PhD; Cathy Pingoy, RN, MSN; and Jaime Andres Suarez-Londono, MD.
These individuals have contributed to global health and the HVO mission in a number of ways. Their work includes project assessment, development, and monitoring; advocacy and promotion of HVO’s mission; building professional networks that support health workers and facilitate advancements at project sites; cultivation of connections between HVO volunteers and overseas trainees; acquisition and development of educational resources; and teaching, training, and mentoring overseas health workers to expand their knowledge, skills and professional development.
"In the midst of the pandemic, all of these professionals have made a concerted effort toward developing e-volunteering with the project sites. The work they have done has allowed the projects not only to continue but to develop in new, innovative ways, which will be integral as we move forward. This not only improves patient care, but it gives us hope for the future,” remarked HVO Executive Director, Nancy Kelly.
The efforts of HVO Golden Apple Award recipients are a critical part of HVO’s mission to expand access to care by empowering health workers. By highlighting the achievements and contributions of the Golden Apple Award recipients, HVO seeks to demonstrate how education and opportunity for health workers will lead to more people around the world being able to access safe, skilled, and compassionate health care when they need it most.
The HVO Board of Directors established the HVO Golden Apple Award in 2006 to recognize and thank the individuals and health educators who make exceptional contributions to HVO and its mission to improve global health. Each year, a handful of individuals - nominated by HVO members, volunteers or leadership, or by our overseas partners - receive the award in recognition of the substantial impact they have had as teachers, advisers, mentors and leaders.
Since 1950, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international community have celebrated World Health Day on April 7. The day always focuses on a relevant global health issue and in recognition of 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers and the gratitude for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s theme is “building a fairer, healthier world.” World Health Day will focus on the inequities in health care around the world which have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its harsh impact on vulnerable communities. The day calls on leaders to ensure that everyone has the ability to access quality health services when and where they need them. For more information on World Health Day, visit the WHO website.
World Health Worker Week, celebrated for the ninth consecutive year, runs from April 5 - 9. The week serves as an opportunity to mobilize communities, partners, and policy makers in support of health workers around the world. It is a time to celebrate the amazing work that they do and to raise awareness of the challenges they face every day. Learn more about World Health Worker Week.
