RIA Novosti, Russia
Jan 19 2005

Dr. ROSHAL EUROPEAN OF THE YEAR

MOSCOW, January 19 (RIA Novosti) – Leonid Roshal, illustrious Russian
children’s doctor, received today a European of the Year award,
established by the popular magazine, Reader’s Digest.
Editors-in-chief of eighteen European-based versions of the magazine
approved this nomination.

Dr. Roshal is the best possible embodiment of contemporary European
values and traditions, Conrad Kishel, Reader’s Digest director of
overseas publications, said at the awarding gala in Moscow.

The laureate donated the 5,000 Euro that came with the prize to
children who suffered in a recent Southeast Asian calamity.

Leonid Roshal heads the Moscow Research Institute of Urgent Pediatric
Surgery and Traumatology. He established an international
organization for aid to children in a plight.

Dr. Roshal visited the sites of more than twenty major disasters in
four continents. Among them were the first Gulf War, wars in
Yugoslavia and Karabakh, the Romanian revolution, and earthquakes in
the USA, Egypt, Japan, Afghanistan, Turkey, India, Algeria and
Armenia. In his home country, he was active in hostage rescue at
Moscow’s theatre in Dubrovka, and at the Beslan school in North
Ossetia.

The European of the Year award was established ten years ago. There
are foremost notables among its previous winners-suffice it to
mention Peter Eigen, founder of the organization against corruption;
Simon Panek, People in Trouble foundation founder; Justice Eva Jolie;
Paul van Beitenen of the European Parliament; and Linus Thorwalds,
who invented the Linux operation system.