Jerry Umanos, MD

Monday, April 28, 2014

Dr. Jerry Umanos, 57, a Chicago pediatrician who was a volunteer at the Cure International Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, died Thursday, April 24, 2014, when a security officer began shooting hospital personnel, according to news reports. Two other physicians were killed and at least one person was wounded in the attack.

Dr. Umanos had volunteered at the Cure hospital in Afghanistan for nine years, treating children and helping train Afghan doctors. CURE is a network of charitable hospitals and surgical programs in 29 countries that delivers medical care to children and families with treatable conditions.

Prior to moving to Afghanistan, he practiced at the Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago. The Lawndale website says he had been a pediatrician there for 25 years, and "for many of us on staff, the pediatrician for our very own children."

In a news release, his Lawndale colleagues described him as, "a very dear friend, devoted colleague, and gifted doctor."

CURE International CEO Dale Brantner said in the CURE blog that Dr. Umanos, "had faithfully served the Afghan people as a pediatrician at the hospital for more than seven years, caring for the most vulnerable members of society -- children and premature infants -- and helping them survive the harsh realities of childbirth in Afghanistan."

A graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine, Dr. Umanos completed his residency at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. He is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and practiced medicine in both the United States and Afghanistan.

"Tens of thousands of pediatricians work diligently every day to improve the health of children throughout the world," said Dr. David G. Nichols, ABP President and CEO. "We sometimes face difficulties, even heartbreak, but we don't expect one of our own to be taken so violently. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, colleagues and friends of Dr. Umanos and the others killed or injured in this senseless attack."

We remember his legacy and invite you to do the same.

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