More info can be found here.

Thanks!

July 21st – 28th

Join David Gaus and AHD in celebrating the life of Ecuador’s Pedro Vicente Maldonado by hiking, rafting, cycling, and boating from Ecuador’s capital to the Pacific on an adventure trip and help our Ecuadorian friends raise the final dollars to complete the new hospital!

We invite you to take on a fundraising and fitness challenge by joining us on an adventurous trip across Ecuador’s northwest province.  The trip will raise funds and awareness for the new hospital in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, to provide high quality care to the poor.

This July, we will be retracing the steps of the historic figure, Pedro Vicente Maldonado.

Itinerary

See details of the itinerary here.

Highlights

• Stunning views of the Ecuadorian Volcanoes and rainforest!
• Ornithology visit to world famous Mindo!
• Learn the history from expert guest speakers!
• Meet local families along the way, living as they did 300 years ago!
• Meet mayors from towns along the path!
• Grand Reception in Esmeraldas with their mayor!
• Visit Hospital Pedro Vicente Maldonado and Hesburgh Hospital!
• Appear on Ecuador’s national TV program with host Freddy Ehlers!

When

July 21-28, 2013

Goal

$5,000 in funds raised by each individual adventurer or team of adventurers.

Funds raised go toward the building of Hesburgh Hospital in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, to serve the poorest of the poor and to train Ecuadorian Family Physicians.

Expenses

We ask that you cover the cost of your plane ticket to Quito and accommodations your day of arrival and departure. Room and board will be provided during the days of adventure.

Contact

Contact Laura Dries for more information.
laura.dries@andeanhealth.org
(619) 788-6833

Epic History of Pedro Vicente Maldonado (PVM)

Following the conquest, heavy commerce developed in the Andean corridor that runs north and south from Lima, Peru, through all of Ecuador, and up to Cartagena, Colombia, with Europe as a final destination. However, the rainy season rendered these routes impassable for much of the year.

The Pacific held the answer, but how do you drop precipitously 10,000 ft and cross the costal swamps to the Port of Guayaquil to transport goods from Ecuador’s northern highlands?

The Spanish Crown first attempted a route from Quito through Santo Domingo to the Bay of Caracas on Ecuador’s coast, but its coastal swamps doomed it to failure. In 1735, PVM was given permission to open a trail from Quito to Esmeraldas.

Pedro Vicente Maldonado (1704-1748) was an Ecuadorian scientist who helped establish the location of the equatorial line in his country. A physicist, mathematician, astronomer, topographer, and geographer, Maldonado was the man for the job.

Quito-Mindo represented the near vertical first stretch. The second stretch bypassed the expected route including Nanegal and Gualea, instead passing through Inca Chaca. The third stretch ran through San Juan de Niguas, followed by the final fluvial route to the city of Esmeraldas via the Silanche, Quininde, and Esmeraldas rivers.

The trail was maintained until 1783 when it fell into disuse, only to be retraced 150 years later. The town of Pedro Vicente Maldonado, home to our hospital, takes its name from Ecuador’s legendary topographer and jack of all trades.

John Burchett, Washington, DC

John Burchett is the Director of Public Policy for US States, Latin America and Canada for Google.  He is responsible for Google’s state and local government affairs in the United States, Canada and Latin America.  He is based in Google’s Washington, DC office.  Prior to joining Google in 2007, he was Chief of Staff to Governor Jennifer Granholm where he acted as the Chief Operating Officer for the State of Michigan.  He has also served Governor Granholm as Director of Michigan’s Washington, DC Office, and as the Deputy Director of her Transition Team in 2002.

Mr. Burchett, a Michigan native, has lived in Washington for most of the last 15 years.  He was a White House Fellow in 1997 – 98, a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, an Assistant Management Officer for the DC Control Board, and a management consultant, specializing in state and local government, business planning and business process reengineering.

Before moving to Washington in 1997, Mr. Burchett was an Assistant Wayne County Corporation Counsel.  At Wayne County he focused on real estate and economic development projects for the County.  He was heavily involved in the negotiations and development of the two new stadiums in downtown Detroit.  Before joining Wayne County in 1994, Mr. Burchett was a real estate lawyer for Little Caesars Enterprises, and for Honigman Miller Schwarz and Cohn.  He also was a law clerk to the Hon. Cornelia Kennedy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Burchett received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

Richard J. Daly, Chicago, IL

Rich has over 20 years of commercial pharmaceutical experience working in positions of progressive responsibility in sales, marketing and operations.  Rich is a founding partner and board member of SagePath Partners LLC a commercial outsourcing provider to the pharmaceutical industry.  During his recent tenure at Takeda Pharmaceuticals he served as Executive Vice President with P&L responsibility for businesses across the U.S., Canada, and Central/South America.  Earlier in his career, he served in the sales organizations at Merrell-Dow Pharmaceuticals (now part of Sanofi) and TAP Pharmaceuticals (formerly a division of Abbott Labs) and in sales, marketing, operations and senior leadership positions at TAP and Takeda.

With expertise in sales, marketing, R&D/Commercial integration, business development and operations management, Rich has served in key roles in establishing start-ups, building high growth businesses, and in successfully leading turnarounds.  He has deep experience in leading the commercial launch efforts of major products in a multitude of therapeutic areas including cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, gout and gastrointestinal.

Rich holds a BS in Microbiology from The University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

In addition to his work with Andean Health & Development, Rich also serves as a volunteer board member for Face to Face Fine Art Commemorative Expressions, Inc., as a Mentor for University of Notre Dame Science and Business Entrepreneurship Council and as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine.

Rich lives with his wife Susan and their two sons in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Carlos del Salto, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Carlos del Salto has served on the Board of VWR International, LLC since September 2007 and currently is a member of the Audit Committee. Carlos retired from Baxter Healthcare Corporation in March 2006 where he was the Senior Vice President responsible for Baxter’s Intercontinental and Asia-Pacific operations. He had been with Baxter Healthcare Corporation’s since 1973, and he held numerous positions including President of Baxter Healthcare Corporation’s Renal Business, President of Latin America/Switzerland/Austria and General Manager of Mexico.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Unity of Florida, a non-profit organization focusing on empowering Hispanics and other members of the community to become self-sufficient and lead productive lives. Carlos also serves as a President and Founder of the “Natividad de los Andes” Foundation in Ecuador South America, a non-profit organization that provides free education in computer science to children from low income families. He holds a bachelor of accounting degree from Juan de Velasco College in Ecuador. In addition, he received his master of finance degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Mike Flores, Chicago, IL

Mike Flores heads up Worldwide Development for McDonald’s Corporation, supporting the development and execution of new restaurant growth plans and the strategic management of the enterprise portfolio.  In his prior role, Mike served as the Vice President of Global Strategy Alignment, supporting the strategic planning and global alignment agenda of the President-COO and senior management team.  Other prior roles include Vice President of Strategy & Planning for the Company’s U.S. business unit, Vice President and General Manager of the Company’s Pittsburgh Region and a progression of financial and operations positions.

In his 28 years with the McDonald’s system, Mike has worked closely with franchisees, suppliers, all corporate functions and key external stakeholders.  Prior to joining McDonald’s, Mike was a CPA at Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young) in Chicago, IL.

Mike is a 1983 graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Accountancy and a CPA.  He has completed post graduate executive education at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago, and has taught executive business strategy at The University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.  He serves as Vice Chair on the board of CURE Network (Collaborative Underserved Relief and Education Network) and a member of the board of Chicago Youth Guidance.  He has also served on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Urban League and Urban League Charter School.  Mike is a Fellow with Leadership Greater Chicago.

Mike lives in the Chicago area with his wife Kate.  His sons Jack and Bobby attend the University of Notre Dame and his daughter Bridget lives and works in Kansas City, MO.

You can donate to the Vision Campaign to build this hospital and residency training center by clicking here.