Yanick Vibert, DO, Named Roosevelt Award for Services to Humanity Honoree by the March of Dimes

St. Christopher's Physician Named Roosevelt Award for Services to Humanity for Her Service to the Underserved. End Quote

Philadelphia, PA-NJ (1888PressRelease) October 04, 2014 - Yanick Vibert, DO, attending neonatologist at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, has been named the 2014 Roosevelt Award for Services to Humanity Honoree by the March of Dimes (MOD), Southeastern Pennsylvania Division. The Roosevelt Award for Service to Humanity recognizes an individual who exemplifies commitment to the community through volunteer service and excellence in his or her field.

"It is a great privilege to honor Dr. Yanick Vibert, MPH, with the Roosevelt Award for Service to Humanity for her achievements and leadership in promoting the mission of the March of Dimes," says Amanda Young, executive director for the Southeast Pennsylvania Division of the March of Dimes. "A recognized leader in the neonatology field, Dr. Vibert has made it her life's work to improve the health of mothers and their babies throughout her career. Along with her dedication to Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Dr. Vibert also has a passion for sharing her knowledge, leading by example in joining an ambitious group of doctors in Uganda to train and share with her counterparts at the Makerere University medical school. The March of Dimes is pleased to present the Roosevelt Award to Dr. Vibert."

Dr. Vibert is being honored for her outstanding service to the underserved and desperate victims of catastrophic, devastating diseases and extreme poverty. Dr. Vibert has participated in volunteer work with Haiti over the past two decades, including help with rebuilding the local hospital in Tabare, Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, treating babies stricken with cholera and tetanus, and assisting with establishing free pediatric clinics in Cite Soleil. She also helped develop educational sessions for medical students and residents at the General Hospital in Port au Prince, Haiti, is a trainer with the neonatal resuscitative program, Helping Babies Breathe, and has traveled to Africa multiple times to volunteer in clinics and give lectures.

Board-certified in her discipline, Dr. Vibert received her medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York. She completed a residency at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Children's Hospital in Hershey, Pa., followed by a fellowship at St. Christopher's. Following her time in Haiti after the earthquakes, she decided to attend Harvard School of Public Health to receive her Master of Public Health degree with a maternal-child health concentration.

"I'm so humbled and honored to be receiving this award," says Dr. Vibert. "To know that Dr. Delivoria's [Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos, MD, chief, section of neonatal care, and attending neonatologist at St. Christopher's] nomination and my colleagues see me as deserving of this is truly life-changing. The last time that I was in Haiti, there was a mom holding her 31-week-old baby against her chest. I thought, 'wow, outside these walls there is a lot of suffering and a lot of circumstances that go against these babies and mothers' survival. But no matter the country in the world, nor the disheartening circumstances, the common thread is that a mother is a mother and baby is a baby… and all deserve the same access to care no matter where they live.' What needs to be changed for these babies and mothers is their outside environment/circumstances. I feel so blessed to be a part of that change."

Dr. Vibert will accept the Roosevelt Award on Thursday, November 6, 2014 at the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Gala at the Please Touch Museum ® in Philadelphia. Carolyn Jackson, chief executive officer at St. Christopher's, will also be in attendance as the Honorary Chair.

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