Physicians honored for commitment to others

Dr. Rafael Espada

Humanitarian award winnersshow medical practice andcharitablese

BY ALLISON WARDZINSKI

From the time he was a young boy growing up in a small east Texas town, Dr. Gene Alford’s family instilled in him the importance of giving back to others, especially the less fortunate.

Now an internationally recognized otolaryngologist and facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at The Methodist Hospital, Alford says he is grateful to possess a skill that facilitates the well-being of others. “I have been blessed with the ability to change lives,” Alford said. “I don’t view what I do as something I should be praised for. I was given these skills for a reason — this is the way I am intended to serve my fellow man.”

This approach is exactly the reason why Alford and heart surgeon Dr. Rafael Espada were selected as the first recipients of The Methodist Hospital Humanitarian Award. The

The esteemed physicians were recognized for their commitment to the highest ideals of medicine and for contributions to the community.

Dr. Gene Alford

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award honors a physician, individual or organization related to Methodist, for significant and continuous work on behalf of people whose health and well-being are at risk.

The esteemed physicians were recognized for their commitment to the highest ideals of medicine and for contributions to the community. Each physician received a stainless steel sculpture representing the uplifting of humanity and a $10,000 grant to be donated to the charity of their choice.

Alford donated his grant to the National Face to Face program, an initiative sponsored by a humanitarian branch of the American Academy of Facial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgeons that provides free medical care to those who suffer from facial deformities caused by birth or trauma.

He has been a physician volunteer for the program since its inception in 1994 and, through the program, has treated 17 domestic violence patients, helping them overcome the physical scars of their past relationships.

Along with his treatment of domestic violence survivors through Face to Face, Alford has performed hundreds of operations to transform head and neck deformities of patients affected by cancer.

He also has made significant contributions abroad. Each June, he and his family travel to Honduras to provide free medical and dental care. He performs surgery under local anesthesia in a small village about 40 miles outside of the Tegucigalpa. They also assist with the construction of new housing, mentor students and help with Bible study groups.

Espada, who is a surgeon with the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center, is a national hero in his home country of Guatemala. He travels there each month to provide free cardiovascular services and medical training. He has performed more than 450 heart surgeries, at no cost to the patients, and has trained more than 20 surgeons there to perform the operations.

“Guatemala is my home country and I saw first-hand the suffering and lack of quality health care,” he said. “I also received free medical education in Guatemala and after training and graduating from Baylor College of Medicine, I felt it was my moral obligation to do everything possible to improve the health of Guatemalan citizens, particularly those too poor to pay for these services.”

While in Guatemala, Espada asked the government to provide space and resources to establish a cardiovascular hospital, and he would provide the funds to run it. Unidad Cardiovascular (UNICAR) was officially opened in 1994, and is equipped with three operating rooms, 25 ICU beds, three cardiac catheterization units and 75 adult beds.

In 2003, UNICAR expanded and was renamed after Espada. The hospital performs more than 600 adult cases per year, but he said much more is in store for the future. He plans to further develop services at UNICAR and create the Guatemalan Heart Institute — joining together the government public health system, the military hospital and the social security systems in Guatemala.

He also is expanding and incorporating residency training and the training of other ancillary health care personnel including nurses and dietitians. “We will become the premier heart care center for Central America,” he said.

Espada donated his grant to AMEGESO, his private foundation in Guatemala, which oversees all donations and allocations of funds for purchasing medical equipment and supplies for UNICAR. The money will be used to equip the hospital’s new heart failure clinic.