PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: edina@farusa.org
Website:

November 30, 2004
____________________

FAR FELLOWS SERVE AS PIONEERING PROFESSIONALS:
The Legacy of the Fund for Armenian Relief’s Medical Fellowship Program

Volunteerism in Armenia?

Whoever says Armenians in Armenia do not have the mindset to volunteer
and help their brethren has not encountered the FAR Fellowship Alumni
Association (FAR FAA).

The most recent example of FAR FAA’s volunteerism is the October 10-13,
2004 follow-up medical mission to Karabagh, led by Dr. Gevorg Yaghjyan,
a plastic reconstructive surgeon from Yerevan. In August, the team of
doctors examined more than 60 patients to select candidates for surgery
and provide medical care to young and old alike. During the October
mission, four surgeons performed 10 operations at the Shushi Hospital
and the Stepanakert Republican Hospital. Not only were services free,
the doctors also brought their own medical supplies for the mission.

In addition to performing the surgeries, Dr. Hovsep Shamakhyan, a burn
surgeon and Head of the Department of Combustiology in Yerevan,
conducted six lectures on burns treatment, infusion therapy, first aid
during burns, and post-burn rehabilitation. Dr. Yaghjyan also presented
a lecture on the use of flaps for the treatment of burn defects.
Participants attending the FAR FAA seminars, promoted by Karabagh’s
Ministry of Health, included doctors and staff from regional hospitals.

Legacy of FAR’s Medical Fellowship Program

In 2000, close to 80 Armenian physicians formed FAR FAA, a nonprofit
organization composed of the leading healthcare professionals in Armenia
who selflessly work to improve the healthcare system, advance the
medical sciences in Armenia, and provide free medical care for orphans
and indigents. The alumni association is a testament to the giving,
caring spirit of all Armenians.

FAR FAA’s founding members are the participants in FAR’s Medical
Fellowship Program. Between 1990 and 1998, these Armenian doctors
received three months training in (a) medical training – learning the
latest western medical techniques and specialties, or (b) health care
management – learning the modern concepts of organization, support,
finance and administration of hospitals at the University of California
Los Angeles, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Cornell University
Medical Center, and the University of Michigan Medical Center under the
patronage of FAR.

Dr. Edgar M. Housepian, Vice Chairman of the FAR Board of Directors and
Chairman of FAR’s Medical Committee, directed the FAR Fellowship
Program. “I am extremely pleased with this group of young men and
women. They are taking what they saw and the lessons they learned here
in the U.S. and applying them in Armenia. They are proud to be Armenian
and helping the Armenian people,” said Dr. Housepian. “It reflects well
on FAR too, that, years later, our program has evolved independently and
is resulting in good works and volunteerism in Armenia.” Dr. Housepian
continues to maintain regular contact with the Fellows, three of whom
have served as Armenia’s Minister of Health.

FAR FAA’s Accomplishments

In less than four years, FAR FAA has established the Armenian Diabetes
Association, an epilepsy clinic, a neurological center, and cancer
clinics. It has promoted the specialization of neuromuscular disease,
provided support for laparoscopic surgery, and authored articles and
books on medical practices and discoveries.

FAR FAA has hosted or co-sponsored several health seminars, conferences,
symposiums and training programs in Armenia and partnered with other
professional associations and international and charitable foundations.
Last year, with a successful grant proposal, it launched the Salzburg
Medical Seminars, a joint venture with the Austrian American Foundation
and the Open Society Institute, a part of the Soros Foundation network,
to help the next generation of Armenia’s doctors gain access to
fellowship opportunities and participate in international professional
organizations.

Today, FAR FAA membership has expanded to include other motivated
doctors in Armenia who did not partake in the FAR Medical Fellowship
Program but care about the welfare of their communities and country.
For more information about FAR FAA, please visit its websites:
medlib.am/welcome.html and

About FAR

FAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York,
with offices in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Stepanakert. For 15 years, FAR has
implemented various relief, development, social, educational, and
cultural projects valued at more than $250 million. It is the
preeminent relief and development organization operating there.

For more information on FAR and our medical and health projects, contact
us at 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150,
fax (212) 889-4849; , far@farusa.org.

— 11/30/04

E-mail photos available upon request.

CAPTION1: FAR FAA members Dr. Gevorg Yaghjyan, Dr. Hovsep Shamakhyan,
Dr. Mushegh Israelyan, and Dr. David Barseghyan traveled to Shushi and
Stepanakert on a medical mission. Here, they are preparing the
operating room, checking the integrity of equipment and collecting sets
of instruments for the surgeries.

CAPTION2: Dr. Shamakhyan conducted six one-hour lectures in the
auditorium of the Stepanakert Maternity House on topics such as burns
treatment, infusion therapy, first aid during burns, and post-burn
rehabilitation. Dr. Yaghjyan also presented a lecture on the use of
flaps for the treatment of burn defects.

CAPTION3: Two surgeons taking a break between surgeries on the FAR FAA
medical mission to Karabagh.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress