Pioneering heart surgeon working to bring healthcare to his homeland of Ethiopia named top hero at 4th Annual 2006 Volvo for life Awards; other heroes honored. Awards presented by Hank Aaron, Maya Lin, Sen. Bill Bradley, Avril Lavigne, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Dr. Sally Ride; Dr. Ingida Asfaw received $50,000 and a Volvo car for life.
June 22, 2006
Dr. Ingida Asfaw, an Ethiopian-born Detroit heart surgeon who kept a half-century promise to himself by creating an international coalition to address his homeland's medical crises, has been named "America's Greatest Hometown Hero" at the 4th Annual Volvo for life Awards ceremony. For his efforts, he receives a $50,000 contribution to the charity of his choice and a new Volvo every three years for life. Dr. Asfaw, 68, founded the Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association (ENAHPA) in 1999 with the goal of providing healthcare to the people of Ethiopia, a country where the ratio of physicians to population is 1 per 100,000. Today, ENAHPA is a network of more than 500 medical and non-medical professionals and volunteers from the United States, Canada, China and South America who donate their time and talents to address the Ethiopian healthcare crises through medical mission trips and other social initiatives.
Held at the Rainbow Room on April 12, the Volvo for life Awards ceremony capped off the largest-ever national search for and celebration of everyday heroes, providing $1 million in awards and financial contributions. The 4th annual initiative, launched in July 2005, called on people nationwide to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com and nominate an unsung hero they know in one of three categories: safety, quality of life and environment. Volvo received 4,341 nominations representing all 50 states. In February 2006, Volvo selected 100 semi-finalists and narrowed the field to the top three finalists in the three categories.
A distinguished panel of judges--including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Caroline Kennedy, Sir Richard Branson, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Val Kilmer, Maya Lin, Paul Newman, Dr. Sally Ride and Hope Bevilhymer (3rd Annual Volvo for life Awards winner)--then reviewed the finalists' nominations and selected a winner in each of the three categories. Judges selected Dr. Asfaw as the winner in the quality of life category and the overall grand winner.
Avril Lavigne presents award to Dr. Ingida Asfaw
About Dr. Ingida Asfaw
In 1958, 16-year-old Ingida Asfaw left his native Ethiopia to study medicine in the United States. At the time, knowing his homeland possessed no formal medical schools and no semblance of a national healthcare program, he promised himself he would become a doctor and return to Ethiopia with healing hands. Now, a half-century later, Dr. Asfaw has kept true to his promise, becoming a world-renowned cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon based in Detroit and creating the Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association (ENAHPA).
Since 2001, Dr. Asfaw has led ENAHPA on annual medical missions in efforts to address his homeland's "profound healthcare crisis." To date they have distributed anti-retroviral drugs for people living with HIV/AIDS, performed Ethiopia's first open-heart surgery and created a child-sponsorship program to support children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. In addition, Dr. Asfaw and ENAHPA have delivered more than 10,000 textbooks and journals to professionals and students throughout Ethiopia in the fields of medicine, law, engineering, nursing, pharmacology and social work.
"We are humbled and honored to have learned about these more than 4,000 incredible heroes who embody the values of conscience, care and character this program was intended to celebrate," said Anne Blec, president and chief executive officer for Volvo Cars of North America. "Dr. Asfaw's determination and willingness to dedicate his talents to help others makes him a true hero, setting an example we can all hope to strive for. We wish to congratulate all of our nominees and truly appreciate the task our judges' faced in selecting a winner from a phenomenal pool of heroes."