American surgeon and charity honored with Order of St. Panteleimon for contributions to Ukrainian healthcare

A ceremony was held in New York to present the "Order of St. Panteleimon" to an American doctor and a charitable organization for their significant contributions to medicine in Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform and reported by Rubryka, the award recipients were:

• Manoj Abraham, an American plastic surgeon, and
• Project CURE, a non-profit organization that supplies medical equipment, represented by its executive director, Douglas Jackson.

Photo: Ukrinform

The awards were presented to the recipients by Andrii Bazylevych, the head of the World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Societies and a professor at Lviv Medical University, during a ceremony at the Ukrainian Institute of America.

Tetiana Tymkiv, president of the US Foreign Council of the "Order of St. Panteleimon," explained, "The Order of St. Panteleimon has traditionally been awarded to the best Ukrainian doctors. However, last year we decided to extend this recognition beyond Ukraine's borders, as a significant amount of aid began arriving from other countries to support Ukrainian hospitals with the onset of full-scale war."

As she noted, foreign councils were established in 12 countries.

The American council, comprising 12 members from prominent Ukrainian organizations across various states in the USA, worked to identify deserving recipients. Tymkiv noted, "Our task was to recognize doctors, medics, philanthropists, or organizations that provide medical assistance to Ukraine. Many candidates were proposed, and all of them are deserving individuals."

Dr. Abraham, who chairs the Face to Face initiative committee of the American Academy of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, was selected for the award through a ballot process.

When the war began, specialists from the Face to Face initiative recognized that Ukraine would need their assistance due to the potential for serious injuries. The charity organization "Together for Ukraine," based in New York, helped them establish a connection with the country and organized their trip.

A team of doctors worked in the western regions of Ukraine, treating around a hundred patients—both military and civilian—who had severe facial injuries.

Project CURE is a non-profit organization that has provided assistance to over 130 countries worldwide. It began collaborating with Ukraine long before the full-scale invasion.

According to Tymkiv, Project CURE has been sending medical aid to Ukraine in containers, including advanced high-quality medical equipment for operating rooms. Since the start of the war, the organization has delivered $50 million in aid to Ukraine.

Reference

The "Order of Saint Panteleimon" is the highest public award for professionalism and charity, recognizing significant achievements in health care and the spiritual and physical development of Ukrainian society.

First presented in 2009 by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, this award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to health care and medical science, named after the patron saint of doctors. This past summer, during the Day of the Medical Worker and the Day of Healer Panteleimon, the top medical professionals in Ukraine were celebrated in Kyiv.

Additionally, in 2021, on the Day of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, 23 of the country's most distinguished doctors received the Order of Saint Panteleimon.