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ABOUT FOCOS - Awards
GPA Awards
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american academy of orthopedic surgeons 2004 humanitarian award
 The value of service to others and loyalty to one's homeland was instilled in Oheneba Boachie-Adjei at a very young age. As an eight-year-old in the city of Kumasi , Ghana , Boachie-Adjei nearly died from a severe gastric illness. When the herbal remedy prescribed by a local healer did little to help, his family was fortunately able to track down one of the country's few physicians - a pediatrician who had returned to Ghana after training in the U.K. The doctor came to the young boy's aid, successfully treating him with modern medicine. The experience inspired young Boachie-Adjei to pursue medicine as a career and also served as a reminder to keep his "mother country" of Ghana close to his heart. Today, nearly 45 years later, Dr. Boachie-Adjei is not only Chief of the Scoliosis Service at Hew York's Hospital for Special Surgery, but also founder and chairman of the Foundation of orthopedicsand Complex Spine (FOCOS) - a nonprofit organization that provides Orthopedic and spine care to thousands of underserved people in Ghana and Barbados.
Each year, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) bestows its Humanitarian Award on an Orthopedic surgeon who has gone to extraordinary lengths to make a positive impact on the lives and health of many people. AAOS President James H. Herndon, MD, presented Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, MD, with this year's Humanitarian Award during opening ceremonies of the Academy's 71 st Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 10, 2004. In recognition of Dr. Boachie-Adjei's commitment, AAOS will donate $5,000 to FOCOS.
At the age of 21, Boachie-Adjei immigrated to the United States with just $12 in his pocket. Upon his arrival in New York City , he found a minimum-wage factory job as a machinist and soon enrolled at Brooklyn College. As an aspiring student, he attended day and night classes and worked as a tutor to supplement his grants and loans. In 1976, he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in chemistry, then earned his medical degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his Orthopedic residency at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and went on to pursue advanced training in scoliosis at the University of Minnesota. In 1994, he returned to HSS as chief of the scoliosis service.
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footage about this award
Gold Medal For Science & Peace by Albert Schweitzer International University
(2005 Bueno Aires)
By the mid-1990s, with his Orthopedic career well established, Dr. Boachie-Adjei dedicated himself to establishing a foundation to provide Orthopedic and spine services to people in Ghana and other developing nations who are unable to receive adequate medical care. With $100,000 of his own money for startup costs, Dr. Boachie-Adjei launched FOCOS in 1998. "FOCOS was a dream come true for me and for countless others who suffer from spine and Orthopedic afflictions in Ghana ," he said. In 1999, he expanded the Foundation's efforts to include Barbados , and is now working to extend its services to West Africa.
The Foundation's primary mission is to enhance developing nations' access to optimal surgical and nonsurgical care of disabling bone and joint disorders, including pediatric Orthopedic problems and complex spine deformities. All surgery is provided for free or at a nominal cost to cover hospital expenses; there is never a charge for physicians' services or for any services or products provided by FOCOS. With an ever-increasing stream of patients, both new and follow-up, FOCOS is backlogged with surgical candidates for its two-week trips, which typically take place every six months.
Dr. Boachie-Adjei "gives of himself and he energizes those around him," said Thomas P. Sculco, MD, surgeon-in-chief at HSS in New York. "He is charismatic and effective, but most of all, he is dedicated to helping his native people find a better life."
Dr. Boachie-Adjei is currently chief of scoliosis services at the Hospital for Special Services in New York City. He lives in Braircliff , NY , with his wife Hilda and three sons. For more information about FOCOS, log on to www.orthofocos.org.
An Orthopedic surgeon is a physician with extensive training in the diagnosis and non-surgical as well as surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.
The 27,156-member American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org or www.orthoinfo.aaos.org) is a not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for Orthopedic surgeons, allied health professionals, and the public. An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade ( www.usbjd.org ) the global initiative in the years 2002-2011 to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research, and improve people's quality of life. President Bush has declared the years 2002-2011 National Bone and Joint Decade in support of these objectives. The Academy's Annual Meeting is being held March 10-14, 2004 , at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
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2004 wholeness award
At a "standing room only" ceremony held at HSS in late October, Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei accepted the 2004 Wholeness of Life Award from our President and CEO, John Reynolds and Rochelle Hirsch, Trustee HealthCare Chaplaincy. Throughout the event, Rabbi Ralph Kreger, Dr. C. Ronald MacKenzie, Sr. Margaret Oettinger, and Dr. Roger Widmann, each lauded Dr. Boachie for his outstanding contributions to patient care. Attendees also enjoyed a touching video tribute prepared by the Digital Media Department that highlighted the kind and selfless nature of our honoree.
(Click here to see Wholeness Of Life Video)
FOCOS FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN RECEIVES A DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARD
In 1973, I first stepped onto the campus of Brooklyn College as 21 year-old single immigrant from Ghana . Born to poor parents, I came to the USA with the hope of testing the waters. I believed in what I had read and heard much about: the American dream. It was not only my dream but that of others too, who I had left behind in my mother country, Ghana . As an aspiring student, I left no stone unturned. I quickly adjusted to campus life, and by taking advantage of the flexible academic schedule, I worked and attended classes simultaneously, and managed to complete a bachelors degree in chemistry with highest honors. As a married graduate with three mouths to feed, renting a cap and gown was a college luxury I could not afford. I charged on to pursue my goals in medicine, family life and philanthropic activities. FOCOS was a dream come true for me and for countless other, who suffer from spine and orthopedic afflictions in Ghana. Thirty years after entering Brooklyn College , my academic work and philanthropic activities were recognized by the Board of Trustees of my alma mater. On the 29th of May 2003 at the 78th commencement exercises, I was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award and was privileged to give the commencement address to the graduating class of 2003.
It was quite an irony that I was the focus of an event I regretted missing 27 years earlier. In my message to the graduating class, I challenged them to emulate those who have gone before them to become productive members of society by being determined, resourceful, persistent and taking charge of their affairs. Using my own example as an immigrant from a poor background, I emphasized that these qualities contributed to my confidence, and buoyed my will to succeed: “If I Could Do It, So Can You.” I urged them not to be swayed by peer pressure, dishonesty, or shaky deals to succeed, but to remember that wherever life may lead them, there is a purpose and a reason. With the right attitudes, they could learn the rules of the game of life and hold integrity and loyalty as important values. I left them with some words of wisdom by Mark Twain: “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”
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