Building for the Future
UTMB physicians offer aid to New Orleans Habitat for Humanity
JUNE 28, 2007--Katrina Hall, former UTMB MPH graduate, Dr. Serena Auñón, a UTMB aerospace medicine resident, Dr. Jeffrey Davis, professor in preventive medicine and community health, and Dr. Shannan Moynihan, assistant of professor preventive medicine and community health, were among the volunteers from UTMB to help build homes in New Orleans.
Their efforts were part of Volunteer Day, which provided a day of assistance to Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans during the 78th annual scientific meeting of the Aerospace Medical Association.
The association’s annual scientific meeting provides a multi-faceted forum for all aerospace medical disciplines and concurrently provides continuing education credits for those attending the meeting.
Lectures, seminars, panels, poster presentations, workshops, film reports, and technical and scientific exhibits present data on the latest results of clinical and research studies. No other meeting brings together such a diverse group of specialists—clinical health care directors, physicians, scientists, and nurses from the armed services, civil and military aviation, academia, and industry, plus the many private practitioners in all clinical specialties—who care for the total civilian flying population on a daily basis. International representation is evident among both program participants and attendees.
Dr. Kjell Lindgren, a UTMB aerospace medicine resident, coordinated the event in partnership with the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, Aerospace Medical Association, Kelsey-Seybold and UTMB’s own Dr. Robert Johnson.
In all, 52 volunteers from UTMB and the aviation and aerospace medicine industry including Wyle Laboratories, Inc., participated in the event. New Orleans still suffers from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers were eager to lend a helping hand and were left with the desire to do more.