Communications / Public Affairs, Communications
For Immediate Release
Contact: Sara Pinto
212-255-0200 x. 257
Medical Publishers Donate Books to Aid First OB/GYN Residency in Afghanistan
New York, NY, November 7, 2008—Publishers joined with physicians Kathy and Scott Deasy of HOPE Worldwide, providing medical resources to OB/GYN fellows at their residency program in Afghanistan. The more than 300 donated books will be used by physicians training in women’s health at the Malalai Hospital at the Kabul University Medical School. The HOPE Worldwide effort has established the first-ever OB/GYN residency program in Afghanistan.
After learning about HOPE Worldwide, Brian Scanlan, President of Thieme Publishers, brought the program to the attention of the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Leading publishers of OB/GYN resources and texts Elsevier, McGraw-Hill, Thieme, and Wolters Kluwer responded by donating a core collection of medical books, which were then shipped to Afghanistan. With these resources, the OB/GYN fellows at Malalai will have access to a world-class library, with books that guide them through their years of medical training and into clinical practice.
“Access to educational materials, especially in the medical field, is really invaluable. Publishers understand the positive impact their content can make,” said Jack Farrell, Chair of AAP’s Philanthropy for the American Medical Publishers’ Committee. “The medical publishing community is always generous when it comes to sharing their content with those in need, especially worthy programs such as HOPE Worldwide.”
When the shipment of medical texts arrived, Dr. Deasy took pictures of the physicians cradling their new books. “Afghans do not smile for the camera—unless their joy simply cannot be suppressed,” said Dr. Deasy. The photos can be viewed at AAP’s Professional and Scholarly Publishing (PSP) Division’s website here.
Anyone interested in tracking the success of this inaugural OB/GYN residency can visit www.afghandoctors.org or http://www.hopeww.org. AAP’s Philanthropy Committee encourages those with suggestions or contributions to contact Sara Pinto, Director of PSP (spinto@publishers.org).
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies—small and large. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.
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