Physicians for Peace Connects Healthcare Pros from Norfolk and India

NORFOLK, VA (11/07/2011)(readMedia)-- Physicians for Peace (PFP) will be in Kochi, India, this month for a weeklong mission focused on international collaboration and healthcare education. The mission comes just two months after a delegation from Kochi visited Hampton Roads for the Norfolk Sister City Association's (NSCA) Official Twinning Ceremony; Kochi, one of the principal seaports of India and the commercial hub of the tropical state of Kerala in southwest India, became Norfolk's eighth sister city in 2010.

"Through this mission, we hope to explore how PFP can best serve our friends and medical colleagues in India, so that ultimately, patients in need are getting the very best care possible," said PFP Board Chairman Ed Karotkin, MD, a neonatologist at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughter. "The mission is a direct result of our own strong relationships in India and the partnership between the Norfolk Sister Cities Association and the people of Kochi."

Under the leadership of Karotkin, PFP has deployed four missions to India since 2007. Just last year, PFP trained 400 local doctors, surgeons, nurses and community health workers in Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Sawangi, India. Thanks to the education provided on that mission, local mothers and babies now have a better chance for a healthy, productive life.

"The NSCA is pleased that we could play a part in establishing this connection between PFP and the people of Kochi," said Janis Weisberg, president of NSCA. "Dr. Karotkin is highly respected in their medical community, and there is great excitement about this mission. Medical exchange is expected to be one of the natural pillars of our Kochi-Norfolk partnership."

The November mission represents PFP's first collaboration in Kochi. Team members include Karotkin; Diana Behling, manager of the Ob Right Program for Sentara Healthcare; Harvey "Jay" Porter III, the regional EMS education and performance improvement coordinator for the Tidewater Emergency Medical Services and Bonnie Dattel, MD, a perinatologist and professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

For information on PFP or to schedule an interview with team members, please contact Mary Westbrook.

ABOUT PHYSICIANS FOR PEACE

Physicians for Peace transforms lives by training, supporting and empowering healthcare professionals working with the world's underserved populations. Since 1989, volunteers have conducted medical missions in more than 60 countries. Find us online at www.physiciansforpeace.org and www.facebook.com/physiciansforpeace. Follow us on Twitter, Physician4Peace.

ABOUT THE NORFOLK SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION

The Norfolk Sister City Association fosters international understanding, friendship, and cooperation by promoting people-to-people exchanges and continuing relationships between Norfolk, Virginia and its international sister cities. Find out more at www.norfolksistercities.org.