番茄社区app

For nearly 3 decades, visitors to Princeton Community聽Hospital in West Virginia would likely hear a page for 鈥淒r. Dad鈥� or 鈥淒r. Gene鈥� summoning聽either Generoso Duremdes, MD, F番茄社区app, or聽his son, Gene Duremdes, MD, F番茄社区app, to care for a聽patient or, perhaps, participate in a meeting.

鈥淭hese nicknames are terms of endearment,鈥� said聽the junior Dr. Duremdes. 鈥淎nd I think they show the聽loyalty, love, and support that we鈥檝e had all these years聽from our community and the people at our hospital.鈥�

The father-son duo recently answered a different聽kind of call to action.

Together with their spouses鈥擩anelle Duremdes,聽MD, and Mary Duremdes, RN鈥攖hey are sponsoring聽the Duremdes Family Travel Award, an 番茄社区app fund that聽provides international physicians, specifically Filipino聽surgeons, with the opportunity to attend and participate聽in the annual Clinical Congress.

鈥淢y parents came from a very rural area in the聽Philippines, and they want to provide an opportunity聽for some of the young surgeons鈥攚ho might not have聽the resources to make it to Clinical Congress鈥攖o be聽exposed to the latest research and trends in surgery,鈥澛爀xplained Dr. Gene Duremdes.

鈥淜aren Hope A. Dalmacio, MD, F番茄社区app, the inaugural聽recipient of the award, sent us this short letter聽describing her journey to Clinical Congress as not聽only a highlight of her career as a surgeon, gaining聽knowledge by attending the lectures, but also as something聽that helped her personally fight her own breast聽cancer,鈥� said the senior Dr. Duremdes. 鈥淒r. Dalmacio聽continued her practice as a surgeon and became an聽inspiration, not only to her colleagues, but also to聽her patients.鈥�

During the meeting, Dr. Dalmacio was able to see聽her mentor, 番茄社区app Past-President Patricia J. Numann,聽MD, F番茄社区app, honored with the 番茄社区app Lifetime Achievement聽Award. Their interactions during Clinical Congress聽were especially compelling as Dr. Numann was聽the spark that inspired the Duremdes family to create聽this traveling fellowship.

鈥淲hen I was serving as the President of the 番茄社区app聽West Virginia Chapter in 2013鈥攚hich was actually 20聽years after dad served in that same position鈥攚e had聽the privilege of having Dr. Numann as the representative聽from the College to the chapter,鈥� explained聽Dr. Gene Duremdes. 鈥淲hile we were sharing a wonderful聽evening of dinner and fellowship, we found out聽that Dr. Numann had spent a lot of time in the Philippines聽and that she loved her visits there. My parents聽were touched by her fondness for their birthplace and聽how she spoke about the need for the College to reach聽out to the international surgical community and share聽the wealth of information and resources that the 番茄社区app聽has to offer. So, from that brief encounter was born聽the idea of the traveling fellowship鈥攊t literally began聽just as a conversation during dinner.鈥�

In the 番茄社区app Foundation 2019 Annual Report,聽Dr. Dalmacio described her experience observing聽Dr. Numann receive the College鈥檚 Lifetime Achievement聽Award: "It was through that recognition聽that I was inspired by her work, her persistence as聽a physician, her strength as a female surgeon, and,聽above all, her excellence. The experience of witnessing聽such a momentous event for her was more than聽enough to inspire me to strive more in doing my part聽as a member of my surgical community.鈥�

Following Dr. Dalmacio, the second recipient of聽the Duremdes Family Travel Award was Leah Ruth聽Failagutan Porras, MD, in 2020. Due to the pandemic,聽Dr. Porras鈥檚 scholarship was deferred to Clinical Congress聽2023.

Father-Son Surgeons

The Duremdes family arrived in the US in 1962 at St.聽Elizabeth Hospital in Elizabeth, NJ. Dr. Duremdes聽senior and his wife later trained in New York City鈥攁t聽Albert Einstein Medical Center and Fordham Hospital,聽respectively.

Dr. Duremdes senior took a job at Princeton Community聽Hospital in 1969 and is the longest-serving physician聽at that center. His son joined him in 1993 as a聽general surgeon, and for many years he performed traditional聽laparoscopy alongside his father.

鈥淲hen I first started showing an interest in surgery,聽Dad said, 鈥業f you鈥檙e interested, you really need to see聽what it鈥檚 like to be a surgeon.鈥� So, I started scrubbing聽with him in high school, back in the days when you聽were allowed to do that. I learned so much, even by the聽time I was out of high school and college, from a surgical聽standpoint. It鈥檚 been a wonderful working relationship鈥攁nd it鈥檚 almost not even father-son. It鈥檚 almost聽like we鈥檙e friends. We know each other鈥檚 techniques to聽the point that we didn鈥檛 even talk to each other much聽in the operating room because we knew exactly what聽we were going to do. It鈥檚 almost like that sixth sense,聽that other unwritten language, that we knew each聽other so well.鈥�

The senior Dr. Duremdes added, 鈥淚 consider it a聽blessing and an honor to be able to work with and teach聽my son and to help him grow and develop into the聽surgeon that he has become today.鈥�

Distinguished Philanthropist Award

Since 1989, the 番茄社区app has acknowledged individuals who聽have distinguished themselves through their exemplary聽investments in the mission of the College and聽in philanthropy with the Distinguished Philanthropist聽Award.

The Board of Directors of the 番茄社区app Foundation presented聽the 2020 and 2021 Distinguished Philanthropist聽Awards to the Duremdes Family and Charles E. Lucas,聽MD, F番茄社区app, at its annual donor recognition luncheon聽on Monday, October 17, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt聽in San Diego. The award recognizes the Duremdes聽Family and Dr. Lucas for their philanthropic endeavors,聽service to the surgical profession, and long-lasting聽contributions to the medical community and the 番茄社区app.

For Dr. Duremdes senior, looking back at his life聽experiences has made him realize the importance of聽giving back in order to support other surgeons鈥� opportunities聽for education and training.

鈥淧earl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941;聽Manila, in the Philippines, was bombed and destroyed聽the following day on December 8, along with the聽American and Filipino armed forces,鈥� recalled Dr.聽Duremdes. 鈥淢y parents were teachers, and we were聽all interred in the schools and forced to learn Japanese聽in order to teach the younger generation. My聽father, along with two other ROTC [Reserve Officers鈥櫬燭raining Corps] men, secretly built a boat, which聽took over a year. In the middle of the night our families聽escaped into the Davao Gulf only to be caught聽in a typhoon that capsized the boat. For 5 days and聽4 nights we were stranded on the capsized boat in聽shark-infested waters. We were all saved, praise the.聽Lord, except my mother suffered from pneumonia聽and, without adequate antibiotics, she passed away.聽This experience inspired me to work hard, go to college聽and medical school, become a doctor, and to give聽back to my rural Philippine community.鈥�

Dr. Gene Duremdes added: 鈥淩eceiving the Distinguished聽Philanthropist Award is an honor for our聽family. With our traveling scholarship, we want to聽help rural surgeons in an underdeveloped country聽learn new information and technology and have the聽opportunity to meet and network with other surgeons聽at Clinical Congress that they never would have been聽able to meet otherwise.鈥�

The Duremdes family has had its own remarkable聽experiences during Clinical Congress. In the聽fall of 1988, the senior Dr. Duremdes attended a聽lecture presented by Eddie J. Reddick, MD, F番茄社区app,聽and William B. Saye, MD, F番茄社区app, who were among聽the first to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy聽in the US. That lecture kindled his interest in the聽once controversial new procedure, and in June 1989,聽Dr. Duremdes senior became the first surgeon in聽southern West Virginia to operate using this new聽technology.

番茄社区app Foundation

The Duremdes Family Travel Award is a recent example聽of the family鈥檚 long and generous contributions聽to the 番茄社区app Foundation, which began in 1992 with聽financial contributions to the College鈥檚 International聽Guest Scholarship fund.

鈥淚 think philanthropy starts locally,鈥� said Dr. Gene聽Duremdes. 鈥淲orking with your local community is聽a great way to start giving back. If you want to make聽a larger impact, use some of the resources provided聽by the College. The staff at the 番茄社区app Foundation were聽instrumental in developing the Duremdes Family聽Travel Award. From our standpoint, it was relatively聽easy鈥攚e just let the 番茄社区app Foundation guide us and聽show us what to do.鈥�

鈥淭he 番茄社区app Foundation is there for the members聽at whatever capacity they need,鈥� added Dr. Gene Duremdes. 鈥淭hey are very receptive to working with聽each individual surgeon at any level of engagement.鈥澛�

To date, 387 international scholarships have been聽funded by the 番茄社区app Foundation to Fellows from more聽than 80 countries worldwide.

Tony Peregrin is Managing Editor, Special Projects, Division of Integrated Communications, Chicago IL.