Hand Rehabilitation Foundation

1. Overview The Hand Rehabilitation Foundation, established in 1975, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation formed to promote research and education, and disseminate information to physicians and therapists who work with children and adults with hand disorders caused by injury, disease, or present at birth. Among its other educational offerings, each year The Foundation sponsors an annual symposium known worldwide as The Philadelphia Meeting. This symposium brings together an international faculty of hand surgeons and certified hand therapists to teach and demonstrate the most current advances in hand rehabilitation correlated with hand surgery. Since the first symposium in 1974, thousands of hand therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and surgeons have increased their clinical skills and knowledge by attending this meeting. MEDICAL MISSIONS Earlier this year, Dr. Randy Culp, through the Health Volunteer Overseas (HVO) organization, led a team of Philadelphia Hand Center fellows, assistants, medical students, and hand therapists on a medical mission trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Dr. Culp, a member of HVO since 2008, has for the last several years, focused his efforts on the hand surgery program at Hospital Escuela. He and his team spent a week at the hospital to screen and perform surgeries for hundreds of patients. The team members from The Philadelphia Hand Center, PC worked closely with Honduran surgeons and medical personnel, and provided a learning opportunity for Honduran surgeons and therapists in various aspects of the pre-operative, operative and post-operative management for the patients seen. The learning and collaboration that Dr. Culp has fostered among students and professionals across cultures has earned him an honorary professorship at the Hospital Escuela, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, as well as recognition from HVO with a Golden Apple award for 2013. Dr. Culp has secured donations of medical supplies and equipment and he has helped to raise funds to support the participation of the team members of the annual mission trip.