Each year, the American College of Radiology (ACR) Foundation recognizes healthcare providers and organizations working to improve community health globally, both in underdeveloped countries as well as low-income areas of developed nations.
This year, the ACR Foundation presented its 2024 Global Humanitarian Award to Florida-based radiologist Boyd N. Hatton, MD, for his service at the Kilimanjaro Mission Hospital (KMH), where he lead initiatives to improve imaging and radiology care in Africa.
The non-profit KMH says its mission is, in part, to ensure that “healthcare and health education is available without regard to economic sufficiency, tribal status or religious beliefs.” The organization's clinics in Africa are free of charge, and each cares for 100 patients a day during month-long missions touring villages in the region. Clinicians are trained in each area to develop established care centers for patients.
Since 2021, Hatton has served the hospital and its clinics on-site, teaching KMH clinicians how to perform ultrasounds and improve patient diagnostics. Additionally, he aided in the installation of a PACS system at the main hospital location to improve medical image reporting. When in the U.S., Hatton supported the hospital’s missions remotely by consulting on patient cases.
“Dr. Hatton’s vision to bring a U.S. standard of care to rural Kenya and his contributions to help patients obtain life-saving radiological services at no cost represents the very best of our profession,” Jacqueline Bello, MD, chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors said in a statement sent to Health Imaging. “The Foundation is honored to present him with this award recognizing him for his efforts to perform these services and his mission to educate providers on how to achieve better health outcomes for patients in Africa.”
Hatton was presented the Global Humanitarian Award at the ACR’s annual meeting in Washington, DC.
For more information on the award and to nominate a person or organization, click here.
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