Canadian Orthopaedic Surgeon, Shafique P. Pirani, MD, Honored for Creating Clubfoot Treatment Program in Uganda
SAN FRANCISCO – The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) presented its 2012 Humanitarian Award to Shafique P. Pirani, MD, of British Columbia, Canada, during an awards ceremony at its 2012 Annual Meeting. The Humanitarian Award honors members of the Academy who have distinguished themselves through outstanding musculoskeletal-related humanitarian activities in the United States or abroad. This award also recognizes those orthopaedic surgeons who help to improve the human condition by alleviating suffering and supporting and contributing to the basic human dignity of those in need.
Dr. Pirani established the Uganda Sustainable Clubfoot Care Project (USCCP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing widespread disability and poverty from neglected clubfoot.
“Clubfoot is a birth defect where the foot is twisted inward and downward.” said Dr. Pirani. “Early on in life, the deformity causes few symptoms. But as you get bigger, it hurts when you stand and walk. Life then starts to become more difficult. Walking becomes increasingly painful. Children suffer social isolation and stigmatization. Children appear different to friends and village mates, and are given strange names.
Ismailimail 