Why I Give...Patrick Flaharty's Story

When I attended the 50^th anniversary of ASOPRS in San Francisco a few years back, it dawned on me that I had been a member of ASOPRS for more than half its existence. Over the years, I have built many great friendships with ASOPRS colleagues and watched the organization grow with the addition of many outstanding new members. As a cosmetically oriented physician, I’ve enjoyed and learned from my colleagues in the other core disciplines, but in the final analysis, I am most closely allied with my ASOPRS colleagues. We have the same core training, come from the same family tree, and need to nurture the continued growth of that tree for the next generation of ASOPRS physicians. Donating to the ASOPRS Foundation is one easy way to give back to the organization that has supported us over all these years and to help strengthen that organization to have an even greater impact on the world in the years to come. 

"I encourage you to donate to the foundation; it makes a difference!" ~ J. Fezza

ASOPRS and the Foundation have always been like a family to me. There are so many incredibly talented, smart, and inspirational members, and I truly enjoy my interactions. More importantly, ASOPRS has been a platform for meeting old friends and making new ones. ASOPRS has been the gold standard for oculofacial plastic surgery and most advances in our field have been championed by ASOPRS members. I feel ASOPRS and ASOPRS Foundation are truly one and strive to educate physicians, set excellence in patient care, and provide a space for innovation in our field.

The Foundation has grown in the past decades to emerge as an outstanding charitable organization. It supports mission work in foreign countries training of foreign physicians in places where care is difficult, and it creates a platform and support for new research. In the past 20 years, the Foundation has provided unyielding philanthropic assistance, and its impact can be felt globally.