Armenia Fund USA’s Medical mission to Stepanakert will include groundbreaking orthopedic surgeries
Drs. Stephan and Shahan Yacoubian will perform the procedures, with implants and supplies donated by DJO of California
Los Angeles, September 24, 2018 – Renowned orthopedic surgeons and brothers Drs. Stephan and Shahan Yacoubian will volunteer their services in support of Armenia Fund USA’s 2018 medical mission to Armenia and Artsakh. The two surgeons will join the medical mission’s Artsakh component, to perform groundbreaking orthopedic surgeries at the Stepanakert Republican Medical Center, from September 27 through October 5. The advanced surgeries will also be made possible by implants and other orthopedic-surgery supplies donated by DJO of California. The medical mission to Stepanakert is organized and will be implemented jointly by Armenia Fund USA, Adventist Health, and Chevy Chase Surgery Center.
The main goal of Drs. Stephan and Shahan Yacoubian’s participation in the mission is to help take the orthopedic-surgery capabilities of the Stepanakert Republican Medical Center to the next level. To this end, the two surgeons from Los Angeles will train the hospital’s orthopedic team in best practices with regard to all aspects and protocols of orthopedic operations, and will perform the surgeries alongside the team. Dr. Stephan Yacoubian will perform arthroscopic shoulder and knee surgeries, while Dr. Shahan Yacoubian will focus on knee-replacement surgeries. A key ingredient for the success of these procedures will be the state-of-the-art implants and other orthopedic-surgery supplies, enough for 16 cases, that have been donated by DJO of California. The donation is worth $200,000.
“We are looking forward to joining forces with the Artsakh medical professionals to bring quality orthopedic surgical care to patients in need,” Dr. Stephan Yacoubian said. “We are hopeful that this work will establish a strong relationship that will prosper over time and result in people leading healthy lives, free of pain and disability.”
Commenting on the volunteer work of Drs. Stephan and Shahan Yacoubian as well as the support provided by DJO of California, Armenia Fund USA President Maria Mehranian said, “The free-of-charge surgeries that will be performed by Drs. Stephan and Shahan Yacoubian are significant not only as a wonderful humanitarian initiative, but also as a major endeavor that will position the Stepanakert Republican Medical Center on the next level in terms of orthopedic-surgery capabilities. These efforts are all the more noteworthy in a republic such as Artsakh, where high-quality orthopedics, and orthopedic surgeries in particular, are of immense importance to the population.”
Mehranian continued, “On behalf of Armenia Fund and our project partners, including Adventist Health, Chevy Chase Surgery Center, and the government of Artsakh, I would like to convey our profound gratitude to Drs. Stephan and Shahan Yacoubian, as well as DJO of California, for enabling us to help boost the technical and professional capabilities of the Stepanakert Republican Medical Center’s orthopedics department.”
Dr. Stephan Yacoubian is a Board Certified orthopedic surgeon. His surgical expertise encompasses minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, primary joint replacement surgery, and fracture-repair surgery. Dr. Stephan Yacoubian also holds the distinction of being a certified Orthopedic Subspecialist in Sports Medicine and an acclaimed orthopedics researcher. Dr. Yacoubian is the senior partner at Orthopaedic Surgery Specialists, in Burbank, California. He served as Department Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center.
Dr. Shahan Yacoubian is a Board Certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in joint-replacement surgery, complex revision surgery (previously implanted joint replacements), and trauma/fracture surgery. He is a general partner at Orthopaedic Surgery Specialists. Dr. Shahan Yacoubian treats a wide spectrum of joint diseases, from the initial onset of cartilage degradation to conditions requiring complex joint-replacement surgery. Dr. Shahan Yacoubian is the only fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at Providence Saint Joseph Hospital, focusing on joint replacements
Based in Vista, California, DJO of California is a division of DJO Global, a leading provider of high-quality orthopedic devices, as well as a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of a broad range of reconstructive implant products.
Armenia Fund USA has carried out missions to Noyemberyan Hospital, in Armenia’s Tavush Region, since 2015, through a special partnership with Adventist Health. Thanks to the past three missions to Armenia, close to 5,750 patients from borderline villages have been provided with high-quality medical care, including 235 surgeries, and over 15 tons of modern medical equipment, medicines, and supplies have been provided to Noyemberyan Hospital.
Armenia Fund’s 2018 medical mission will encompass not only Noyemberyan Hospital, from September 22 through 26, but also, for the first time, the Stepanakert Republican Medical Center. The mission will be carried out by a volunteer team of over 60 doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals from the Adventist Health Southern California Region and Chevy Chase Surgery Center, as well as Drs. Stephan and Shahan Yacoubian. The volunteer team will provide a wide range of free medical services to thousands of patients. As importantly, the mission will boost the technical and professional capabilities of both beneficiary hospitals, through trainings and technological assistance.
Noyemberyan Hospital was completely rebuilt and modernized by Armenia Fund USA’s Swiss and German partner organizations in 2011. The Stepanakert Republican Medical Center was built by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund in 2013, through a generous donation by Russia-based benefactor Samvel Karapetyan. The facility is adjacent to the Stepanakert Armine Pagoumian Polyclinic, built by Armenia Fund USA in 2006; as well as the Stepanakert Oncology Center, constructed by Fonds Armenien de France in 2007.
