American Austrian Foundation’s ‘Music for Medicine’ Gala

“The generosity that exists among Americans is unlike any other in the world”, shared Pablo Legorreta at the American Austrian Foundation (AAF) Music for Medicine gala last night. “That’s why the Open Medical Institute (OMI) program works so well. American doctors are generous with their time and knowledge. If you ask doctors from other parts of the world to actually close their practice for a week and go teach, it’s very hard to persuade them to do that. But in the U.S. that happens all the time.”.

The American Austrian Foundation was founded in 1984 by a group of Americans and Austrians keen on fostering closer ties between the two countries. AAF created OMI as an educational initiative for medical professionals to improve healthcare on a global scale. After the Iron Curtain fell in 1991, doctors in former Eastern Bloc countries found themselves struggling to care for patients amidst collapsed medical systems and economies. Many left for better opportunities elsewhere, creating a brain drain of physicians and jeopardizing the health of millions living in the newly independent states. In modern day, this is happening in less developed countries. “In Nigeria, every single week more than 50 physicians are leaving the country. This is why we designed OMI to give doctors the knowledge and skills needed to deliver high-quality care in their home countries. It promotes brain gain instead”, said Wolfgang Aulitzky, Medical Director of AAF.  He also offered sincere thanks to the evening’s chars Dr. Antonio Gotto and Barbara Tober.

The sold-out evening began with an introduction by AAF President Robert Wessely and a concert by members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra who performed works by Benjamin Britten, Georg Druschetzky, and Wolfgang Mozart. Guests included AAF Chairman Thomas J. McGrath and his wife Diahn, Executive Director Katharine Eltz-Aulitzky, Medical Co-Directors James Callahan and Nancy Wolf, as well as Noreen and Ken Buckfire, Carole and John French, Lee Fryd, Michele Gerber Klein, Kelly and Dr. Robert Kim, Michael Koch, Betsy McCaughey (Former Lieutenant Governor of New York), Margaret Crotty and Rory Riggs, and many more.