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Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Orthopaedic Hospital Hemophilia
Treatment Center (HTC) has been reaching abroad for decades by
extending its specialty expertise and standard of care for the
treatment of hemophilia to Europe, South and Central America, as
well as Asia.
In 1970, Orthopaedic Hospital played a key role in the establishment
of the first international hemophilia treatment centers (IHTCs).
That year, Dr. Carol Kasper attended the World Federation of
Hemophilia (WFH) Congress in Austria and was present when it
designated the first four IHTCs.
Shelby Dietrich, an officer of the WFH at the time, was instrumental
in securing this position for Orthopaedic Hospital, serving as its
founder and first director. Within 12 months, Orthopaedic Hospital's
fellowship program was well underway and Dr. Kasper and her colleagues
welcomed the first three fellows from Costa Rica to Los Angeles. Upon
completion of the extensive training program, the trio was able to
return to Costa Rica to form a leading IHTC to serve patients in
Central America.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, more medical personnel from around
the world came to Orthopaedic Hospital to receive training and
mentorship, enabling them to return to their home countries and
establish new IHTCs. Over the years, Dr. Kasper and her team hosted
hematologists from Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Slovenia.
After more than 20 years playing a key role in the establishment
of new programs around the globe, Orthopaedic Hospital became
involved with the WFH twinning program in Bogota, Colombia, to
share best practices, build infrastructure of care and facilitate
the provision of high quality services. By providing coagulation
laboratory training for the hematologists as well as encouragement,
advisement and counsel, the doctors, nurses and technicians were
able to pursue their specialty training and practice.
Dr. Kasper also counseled doctors from Vellore, India, who through
her mentorship received the necessary grants and funding to form an
IHTC to serve the urgent need for care and prevention in India where
the expense of hemophilia treatment is overwhelmingly costly.
Many of the international programs and centers that benefited from
Orthopaedic Hospital's involvement are continuing to thrive today.
Likewise, the doctors and staff who received their training and
mentorship have become leaders in the field of hemophilia treatment,
bringing hope to patients with hemophilia around the world.
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