The Fairlawn Rotary honors a local person for their contribution to the community. This year's honoree is Dr. Jeff Kempf.
Dr. Kempf was an attending physician in Akron Children’s emergency room for over 30 years. Recently his work has moved beyond the emergency room as the hospital created the Office of Pediatric Global Health. To quote Dr. Kempf, “Half of my job is still in the ER, and half is international work.” Jeff and his wife, Dr. Ellen Kempf, have done international work in Central America, Kenya, and Ethiopia for many years.
A trip to Haiti in 2010 after a devastating earthquake focused his efforts. Dr. Kempf went to work with St. Damien Hospital as part of a relief effort. Jeff started a network of nine North American hospitals to aid St. Damien. Akron Children’s sent faculty, residents, nurses, supplies, equipment, and other aids to help make St. Damien the best children’s hospital in Haiti.
This collaboration has provided necessary heart surgeries for Haitian children. Dr. Kempf also helped establish a sustainable Haitian Cardiac Center, along with working on a program to deliver medicine to children suffering from sickle cell anemia.
Jeff developed a unique partnership between U.S. children’s hospitals and universities together with Rotary clubs. The Rotary Club of Akron and other clubs within District 6630 have been very supportive. Dr. Kempf has orchestrated sending teams of doctors to St. Damien while also bringing teams from St. Damien to Akron for training. St. Damien Children’s Hospital has partnered with Akron Children’s and six other pediatric hospitals in the U.S.
The Rotary Club of Fairlawn would like to honor Dr. Jeff Kempf for his outstanding work. He is truly “a man who feels lucky to do what he does.”
