Alpaca Scarf Fundraiser a Tremendous Success!

Written by Will Bynum
Saturday, 15 March 2008

Thanks to the incredibly generous donations of family, friends, fellow students, and colleagues, we raised nearly $6,600 and gave out 225 scarves in return! We have been overwhelmed by the amount of monetary and moral support that we have received and feel blessed to be surrounded by such supportive and giving people.

We are currently working with Dr. Romero and the Viedma staff to make our first donation, which will most likely be an anesthesiology monitor to be used in a 2nd operating room currently under development.

This will allow the anesthesiologists and surgeons to perform safer operations and will directly enhance the quality of the care offered to the children treated at the burn center.
The machine, if purchased in South America, will cost approximately $3,000, therefore leaving a significant amount of money still to be donated. We will update you as soon as we make further plans for the remaining amount!

MS4BCV Gains Official Endorsement from USC SOM

Written by Will Bynum
Friday, 14 March 2008

At a recent meeting with Dr. Don DiPette, Dean of the USC School of Medicine, MS4BCV was granted with an official endorsement as an organization that the school supports.

Our proposal to Dr. DiPette included requests for the appointment of a faculty advisor and the establishment of an official summer program and a 4th year elective, both of which will be joint efforts between the Viedma Burn Center, MS4BCV, and the USC SOM.

Plans to establish the summer program are well under way, and the development of a 4th year elective is still in the preliminary, information-gathering stage.

Inaugural MS4BCV Summer Internship

Written by Will Bynum
Friday, 14 March 2008
Jason Rogers, Peter Loper, Jim Ford, Jessica McCutcheon, Ashley Smith, and Lauren Crosby will travel to Cochabamba this summer and will work alongside Dr. Romero and the Viedma staff during two three-week sessions.

The six students have already become very involved in the activities of MS4BCV and will take the reigns of the organization upon returning from Bolivia. We hope to expand from six students over two three-week sessions this summer to 15 students over five three week sessions during the summer of 2009. Cindy Jackson, founder of Burn Care International, Inc (NPO) will serve as the liaison for the summer internship.