Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is pleased to announce Jo Davies, MBBS, FRCA is a recipient of the eleventh 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 to HVO’s mission, organization and/or project sites. Each individual honored with this award has demonstrated an impressive commitment to HVO’s mission to improve global health through the education, training, and professional development of the health workforce in resource-scarce countries.

As project director for HVO’s anesthesia training project in Malawi, Dr. Davies has put her heart and soul into ensuring the success of the program—even traveling to the site every 18 months to run the final exams for anesthesia students. Her devotion to the HVO mission has helped foster a strong, sustainable training program in Malawi. In addition to her volunteer assignments, she is currently serving a three-year rotation on HVO’s Anesthesia Steering Committee. In total, she has contributed more than 110 volunteer service days.

A Career Opportunity for Anesthesia Educators

When we consider during our careers whether or not to pursue additional training, we may weigh benefits such as career advancement and professional gratification against the investment of time and money. I recently earned the Certificate for Professionals in Patient Safety (CPPS), offered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). In my estimation, the CPPS is a good investment, and I would like to share how it may help advance your professional goals.

The CPPS was created to help health care professionals achieve proficiency in patient safety through a common language and skills development. It is targeted not just to physicians of all specialties, but also to nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare executives. Since its creation, more than 2,000 healthcare professionals have obtained CPPS certification. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has recently endorsed the effort by partnering with the IHI/NPSF to offer ASA members a 10% discount on coursework and examination fees.