Vasconez awarded Fulbright Scholarship to strengthen Ecuador outreach
UK Healthcare’s Dr. Henry Vasconez, MD, MBA, was selected as a recipient of an award from the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for the 2021-22 academic year.
Vasconez, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery and pediatrics at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, will use the grant in collaboration with the host institution, The Universidad de San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), to hold lectures and workshops for students, residents and faculty. Vasconez will also use telehealth to perform surgical demonstrations.
Through online teaching programs, Vasconez will further strengthen the long-standing relationship between UK and USFQ. In addition to his adult and pediatric plastic surgery practice at UK HealthCare, Vasconez is co-founder of Medical Missions Ecuador, a medical outreach mission that has been treating the needs of impoverished families for nearly 30 years.
Funding will also be used to support Vasconez’s ongoing research into congenital anomalies — particularly microtia, which is prevalent in the Andean region of Ecuador.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program. More than 400,000 “Fulbrighters” have participated in the program, devoted to increasing mutual understanding between peoples of the United States and other countries. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Laureates, 88 Pulitzer Prize winners, 75 MacArthur Fellows and thousands of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors.
Vasconez was previously appointed to serve on the Fulbright Specialist Roster to share his expertise with global partners and colleagues through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning.
Editor’s note: Dr. Henry Vasconez will be on sabbatical from UK in 2022. His last day seeing patients at UK HealthCare before his leave is Oct. 31, 2021. He will return to UK and to UK HealthCare at the beginning of 2023. The Division of Plastic Surgery will provide continuous care for his patients during his tenure away.
