ACRF Global Humanitarian Award


ACRF Global Humanitarian Award
The ACR Foundation Global Humanitarian Award recognizes outstanding individuals, organizations and programs working to improve access to and equitable delivery of quality radiological services in low- and middle-income countries and in areas of need within more developed nations. The World Health Organization estimates that half of the world’s population lacks access to radiological services. Additionally, the challenges of health equity within any country may lead to higher mortality and morbidity rates that could be ameliorated with greater access to quality radiological care. The ACRF works with volunteer radiologists, organizations, industry representatives and allied health workers to improve access to quality radiological services in areas of need.
Sl | Name | Country | Flag | Year | Awarded For |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | Boyd N. Hatton | United States | 2024 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
10 | Kassa Darge | Ethiopia | 2022 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
9 | David H. Epstein | United States | 2022 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
8 | Faisal Khosa | Pakistan | 2021 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
7 | Herman Oosterwijk | Netherlands | 2021 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
6 | Norman Young | Canada | 2021 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
5 | Lawrence R. Kane | Canada | 2020 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
4 | Sarwat Hussain | Pakistan | 2020 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
3 | Richard N. Hirsh | United States | 2019 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
2 | Mamotest | Argentina | 2019 | for positive global impact on radiology services | |
1 | Michael T. Nelson | United States | 2018 | for positive global impact on radiology services |

ACRF Global Humanitarian Award Laureates (2030 ~ 2021)

Boyd N. Hatton
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2024
“Dr. Hatton’s vision to bring a U.S. standard of care to rural Kenya and his contributions to help patients obtain life-saving radiological services at no cost represents the very best of our profession,” said Jacqueline Bello, MD, FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology® (ACR) Board of Chancellors. “The Foundation is honored to present him with this award recognizing him for his efforts to perform these services and his mission to educate providers on how to achieve better health outcomes for patients in Africa.”
Since 2021, Hatton has worked with the Kilimanjaro Mission Hospital (KMH) to improve imaging services. He serves as the director of radiology both on-site and remotely throughout the year. He installed a picture archiving and communication system for imaging studies and frequently consults on challenging cases from the U.S. Hatton also selected, sourced and negotiated for new ultrasound and digital x-ray units for the hospital.
During KMH-hosted outreach clinics, all are treated at no charge. These clinics care for an average 100 patients per day during each month-long mission, visiting a different village each day. Hatton performs point-of-care ultrasound exams during these clinics and teaches the techniques to medical students.
The ACR Foundation Global Humanitarian Award recognizes outstanding individuals, organizations and programs working to improve access to and equitable delivery of quality radiological services in low- and middle-income countries and in areas of need within more developed nations.

Kassa Darge
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2022
Dr. Darge has been a leader in international medical outreach for more than 30 years, 20 of which have been dedicated to pediatric radiology outreach. His outreach is primarily centered in Ethiopia, caring for more than 150,000 pediatric patients at Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. His medical outreach also extends to Liberia, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil and Eastern Europe.
Among his work, Dr. Darge points to the creation of a first-of-its-kind pediatric radiology fellowship outreach program accredited by the Addis Ababa University as one of his greatest accomplishments. The two-year program includes on-site training through rotating international pediatric radiology faculty, distance learning supported by an educational team from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), a three-month observership at CHOP and mentored research concluding with a board exam. He also continues to support the residency program with a CME course dedicated to pediatric radiology, held annually in collaboration with the Radiological Society of Ethiopia.

David H. Epstein
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2022
Dr. Epstein has worked for eight years with the Global Surgical and Medical Support Group, a nonprofit that provides medical care and training in places such as Honduras, Panama and Iraq. The programs in Panama and Honduras were performed in remote areas with Global Brigades, primarily for pre-med students with physician oversight and participation in general clinic work. Dr. Epstein provided general clinic care and was also able to utilize diagnostic ultrasound for over 300 patients in the two one-week programs.
The Iraq program began in 2015 in the Kurdish Region when ISIS was less than 30 miles west of Baghdad and the medical system was overwhelmed. Dr. Epstein assisted with direct care to Iraqi security forces, citizens and refugees. He performed more than 100 image-guided procedures and worked side-by-side doing procedures with other radiologists. He has given more than 30 lectures and workshops to medical staff and has also generously donated medical supplies to Iraqi doctors and patients.
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Faisal Khosa
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2021
Dr. Khosa, has collected funds to support the provision of X-ray, mammography and ultrasound equipment to healthcare institutions in LMIC countries, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He spearheads the Radiology Track of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM). Dr. Khosa has coached, mentored and sponsored hundreds of students, residents and fellows from around the world. He previously received the Honor of State of Pakistan in 2013 and the Association of Faculties of Medicine in Canada May Cohen Equity Diversity & Gender Award in 2020.

Herman Oosterwijk
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2021
Over the last 16 years, Mr. Oosterwijk has led teams to multiple countries in support of Rotary Club health improvement efforts. He led Rotary teams to Nicaragua to provide medical equipment and supplies. Oosterwijk taught PACS bootcamps to radiology support professionals in three continents through RAD-AID International. He has traveled to Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshe, TZ, several times to install and assess the PACS system and train support staff. Oosterwijk has also assisted with the Rotary-funded PACS Systems installation at Zinga Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in East Tanzania.

Norman Young
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2021
Norman Young is the former Chief Executive Officer of ClearCanvas, a PACS and medical imaging software company, which he founded to provide low-cost software to underserved communities. The open source system built by his team enabled many hospital facilities to acquire the software at no cost and customize PACS systems to meet individual needs. More than 75,000 copies of ClearCanvas have been registered and distributed to at least 75 countries. Availability of this software may be one of the most important developments in the expansion of digital medical imaging throughout the world.

ACRF Global Humanitarian Award Laureates (2020 ~ 2018)

Lawrence R. Kane
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2020
For more than 31 years, Dr. Kane has participated in the Haitian Health Foundation (HHF) , serving more than 225,000 people in Jeremie, Haiti. He purchased portable sonography machines for HHF inpatient care for women with high-risk pregnancy, and for use in satellite clinics in 104 villages under the HHF umbrella. He travels to Haiti at least annually to train local physicians in diagnosis of radiographs and sonography. Dr. Kane also financed 50% of the construction costs of a K-9 grade school, which educates 1,000 of the poorest children in Jeremie.

Sarwat Hussain
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2020
For 45 years, Dr. Hussain has served as a radiologist in Pakistan, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Liberia, Iraq and the USA. In 2017, he took a year sabbatical from the University of Massachusetts to become the founding Chief Medical Officer and Chief Radiologist at the Imam Al Hujjah Charity Hospital near Baghdad, Iraq. In 2018, Dr. Hussain established the Global Institute of Healthcare Quality in Pakistan. He was a founding member of Imamia Medics International , a volunteer organization with projects in over a dozen countries. Dr. Hussain also launched the peer-reviewed Journal of Global Radiology, an online publication to catalogue relevant research in radiology in LMIC countries.

Richard N. Hirsh
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2019
The individual award went to Richard N. Hirsh, MD, of Akron, Ohio. Hirsh created Radiology Mammography International, a nonprofit organization that provides imaging services to patients all over the world. He has led more than 35 volunteer trips since 1989, providing imaging technology when needed and organizing volunteer teams to help in a wide variety of areas.
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Mamotest
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2019
The group award went to Mamotest of Argentina, a company committed to early breast cancer detection. Mamotest manages 12 clinics in Argentina and even helped lead efforts to give women in three provinces a full day off work to undergo a mammogram and visit a gynecologist.

Michael T. Nelson
ACRF Global Humanitarian Award 2018
Michael T. Nelson, MD, has been given the American College of Radiology (ACR) Foundation’s 2018 Global Humanitarian Award for his “global impact on radiology services.” The award was announced during the ACR 2018 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
Nelson, a professor in the department of radiology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, has trained more than 100 assistant medical officers and radiology residents in Tanzania and traveled to the country 32 times to volunteer his services.
“Dr. Nelson has worked enthusiastically to improve access to quality radiological services in Tanzania,” Howard B. Fleishon, MD, MMM, chair of the ACR Foundation Executive Committee and vice chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors, said in a prepared statement. “He has undoubtedly helped save and extend countless lives. By recognizing such incredible volunteer efforts, the ACR Foundation hopes to raise awareness and honor those involved in similar initiatives in underserved areas around the globe.”