Wall Named Ethical Humanist of the Year

His work has been called heroic. His teaching career has been honored with a Distinguished Faculty Award. His character has been described as “one of the most ethical.” He is L. Lewis Wall, M.D., professor of Anthropology in Arts and Sciences at Washington University and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University’s School of Medicine, and he has been chosen as the 2012 Ethical Humanist of the Year by the Ethical Society of Saint Louis

In choosing Dr. Wall, the Ethical Humanist of the Year Committee honors his passionate and compassionate commitment to women who have been traumatized, stigmatized and ostracized by a severely debilitating medical condition brought on by prolonged childbirth. Dr. Wall’s determination to help women in Africa and other third world countries living with untreated obstetric fistulas, which cause urinary and fecal incontinence, has compelled and inspired him to devote time, money and ex-pertise in the creation of a Worldwide Fistula Fund and the building of the Danja Fis-tula Center in Niger – one of the few medical centers specifically devoted to assisting women with prevention and treatment of fistulas and restoring those so treated to lives of dignity and worth.

Not content with increased awareness, funding and doctors trained to treat fistulas, Dr. Wall has expanded his vision to launch an ambitious goal of a 12-year, $1.5 billion campaign to create similar centers in all corners of the world where such care is needed. These centers would provide not only surgery but comprehensive maternal health education and outreach. In addition they would serve and empower women with instruction in microfinance.

Please join the EHOY Committee for a reception in honor of Dr. Wall immediately after Platform on September 30 in the downstairs Assembly Hall of the Ethical Society of St. Louis.

Split Collection: Worldwide Fistula Fund
Half of the September 30 undesignated collection will be donated to the World-wide Fistula Fund. For more information call (314) 498-0076 or visit the website worldwidefistulafund.org.