Jo Davies, MBBS, FRCA Recognized for Commitment and Leadership in Global Health

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.

In addition to her volunteer work and program leadership, Dr. Davies also directs the Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA) - HVO Fellowship, which provides funds for senior anesthesia residents to spend four weeks teaching at one of HVO’s anesthesia training sites. She has contributed to every facet of the fellowship, including the raising of funds, organizing the selection of residents, and arranging the award ceremony for selected residents. Her efforts have helped to provide more than 50 anesthesia residents with the unique opportunity to teach overseas, expanding their personal and professional perspectives.

Dr. Davies received her medical education at the Royal London Hospital Medical College. She currently serves as Associate Professor at the Department of Anesthesiology of the University of Washington, Seattle and Chief of Staff Elect at the University of Washington Medical Center. She is a member of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, the Royal College of Anaesthetists Association, the Society of Obstetric Anesthetists and Perinatologists, the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists, the America Society of Anesthesiologists, and SEA.

The efforts of HVO Golden Apple Award recipients are an integral part of HVO’s response to the global shortage of health workers. By highlighting the achievements and contributions of the Golden Apple Award recipients, HVO fosters an awareness of global health issues, especially the human resource shortage, which serves as a serious constraint to the delivery of health care around the world.

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 our 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 this year’s theme is diabetes. For more information on World Health Day 2016, visit the WHO website.

World Health Worker Week, celebrated for the fourth consecutive year, runs from April 3-9. 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 they do and to raise awareness of the challenges they face every day. Learn more on the Global Health Workforce Alliance website.

Health Volunteers Overseas is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve global health through education of the local health workforce in resource-scarce countries. HVO volunteers build local capacity by empowering health care professionals in resource-scarce countries with knowledge and skills to address the health care needs of their communities. HVO volunteers are trained health care professionals - physicians, nurses, dentists, physical therapists and others - willing to donate their time and expertise to work side-by-side with their colleagues overseas. Since 1986, HVO staff and volunteers have collaborated with a variety of health institutions to design, develop and implement each HVO project, working toward better patient care around the globe in trauma care, child and maternal health, essential surgery, cancer care, rehabilitation, and more. Visit www.hvousa.org to learn how you can become part of our global health community.