World Veterans Federation Prize to Dr. Rusk
The Rehabilitation Prize of the World Veterans Federation was awarded to Dr. Howard A. Rusk, Director, Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, New York University Medical Center, in ceremonies held in Lausanne, Switzerland, May 5, on the closing day of the Eleventh General Assembly of the World Veterans Federation.
The prize is presented each second year to an individual who has made distinguished contributions to international cooperation for the rehabilitation of the disabled. It consists of a bronze trophy of the WVF emblem and entitles the recipient to allocate a WVF rehabilitation fellowship for training or research during each of the two subsequent years.
In presenting the prize to Dr. Rusk, WVF Secretary General Norman Acton said, "During and since World War II, Dr. Howard A. Rusk has combined an inspired dedication to rehabilitation with an exceptional world statesmanship to produce achievements which will never be forgotten. His leadership has earned the gratitude and respect of war veterans, of all disabled persons, and of men and women of good will throughout the world."
During World War II, Dr. Husk was director of the rehabilitation program of the United States Air Force, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and retired as a Brigadier General. He is consultant on rehabilitation to the United States Veterans Administration, and has served in a similar capacity with the United Nations and other organizations. Dr. Rusk is currently president of the World Rehabilitation Fund. Inc., a non-profit organization supported by American industry, foundations and individuals to assist in the international development of rehabilitation services for the handicapped, and from 1954 to 1957 served as president of the International Society for Rehabilitation of the Disabled.
The Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, of which Dr. Rusk is director, is the largest university center in the world for rehabilitation of the physically handicapped. Through its educational training program, more than 1,200 medical and paramedical personnel from 68 countries around the world, have studied at the Institute, and returned to their own communities to establish new centers for rehabilitation.
The World Veterans Federation is an organization combining more than 160 associations of veterans and war victims in 50 countries. Dedicated to support of the principles of the United Nations Charter, the WVF carries out a program emphasizing economic development, including especially rehabilitation of the disabled, disarmament and the protection of human rights.
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