Congratulations to our inaugural recipients of the Alumni Mission Award! We are proud to officially honor them during GA/PCDay & Alumni Weekend. Please enjoy reading excerpts from their nominations to see how they are all Independent in Thought, Confident in Expression, Compassionate in Spirit, Collaborative in Action, and Honorable in Deed. 

Each day, GA will feature a separate Mission Award winner with an online story. All five of the Mission Award winners will be honored throughout the weekend, including the All Alumni party at MaGerk's Pub & Grill on Saturday, November 9 (4-7pm).

JAY TALSANIA '82

Jay is an orthopedic surgeon practicing in the Lehigh Valley who specializes in hands and arms. Over the past 15 years, Jay has traveled with a group of physicians from Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation (GHHF) on pediatric hand missions to Guatemala, volunteering his time to operate on children in rural areas of the country. GHHF’s presence in Guatemala is crucial as communities continue to struggle under the arm of poverty and inaccessible medical care. More and more families are turning to GHHF for specialized hand and orthopedic needs. Because of GHHF’s unique relationship with the various Guatemala hand therapy and surgery associations, they are a trusted teaching source and a vital American group providing cutting-edge hand education to both the surgical and therapy communities. Through his work with GHHF, Jay has doubtlessly improved the quality of life for hundreds of children who may not otherwise have received the level of medical care he is able to offer. His 11th trip is planned for October.