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New York, NY - September 18, 2008 - Last month, New York College of Podiatric Medicine third-year student Nicholas Giovinco worked for eight days in rural El Salvador as one of several volunteers from the International Institute for Foot and Ankle Surgery (IIFAS), a group dedicated to providing podiatric medical care as well as to training indigenous doctors to provide that care.
This year's IIFAS mission to El Salvador was the Institute's fourth annual mission to that country. The participants in the mission were Joseph Giovinco, DPM, FACFAS, an alumnus of NYCPM (1980); Chris Menke, DPM; and Nicholas Giovinco. The group brought with them over $25,000 worth of medical supplies donated by private individuals and companies.
The members of the group stayed with a family of local physicians in the town of San Miguel, and immersed themselves in the local culture, food and way of life. The medical campaign began with the evaluation of over 100 patients at the hospital of Nueva Guadalupe and nearby villages. Treatment for these patients included clinical and surgical care. A typical day thereafter consisted of surgical rounds in the morning, followed by serial castings, clubfoot surgeries, and reconstructive surgery for foot and leg.
