MEET OUR BOARD

We are very fortunate to have a board comprised of volunteers with many talents, unending dedication and extensive experience.  They work tirelessly to provide the leadership necessary for the overall well being of the foundation.

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Dennis Siegler

Dennis Siegler,

MD

Board Chair

Dennis is a gynecologic surgeon and obstetrician at Stanford and at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. He first went to Nuevo Progreso in 1993. He has been a team leader and board member of the foundation for 25 years. “HDLF has been the most important medical aspect of my life for the last three decades. Working, operating, and visiting this town has been a win-win situation for me, the visiting medical teams, and all patients in the region who otherwise would not receive care”.

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Henry Klyce

Henry Klyce

VP and Strategic Planning and Development Committee Chair

Henry lived and worked in Central America for two years and first traveled to Guatemala in 1970. He has developed and manufactured medical devices for the past 40 years and currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Active Implants, which makes orthopaedic implants. He is the chair of the Strategic Planning and Development Committee of the HdlF Foundation.

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Stephen O Martin

Stephen O. Martin

Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair

Stephen had a banking career at Bank of America including overseas positions in Hong Kong, Caracas, and Republic of Panama where he was president of the country’s American Chamber of Commerce. He was Chief Lending Officer at the Pacific Bank, and has worked with Banco Hipotecario in Buenos Aires, and with two startups in Mexico. He first visited Hospital de la Familia in 2013, and now serves as the Foundation’s Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair. He is also on the board of Villa Nova, in the village of Ajijic, Mexico, where he presently lives.

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Christopher Aguilar

Christopher Aguilar

Legal Counsel

Chris has practiced law in San Francisco for over 30 years. He is currently in solo practice as an outside general counsel and business consultant. Chris also works as the general counsel for other non-profit and public benefit corporations in the health and music education areas. In the 2000s, he was a founder and the general counsel for a publicly traded broker-dealer investment bank. Chris has also spent many years as a trial lawyer for public and private clients in civil disputes. “I started my career in public service for cities and counties, but moved to private practice. My work with the Foundation satisfies my desire to give back as a response to all that I have received over my lifetime.”

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Andrew Sorenson

Andrew Sorenson,

MD

VP and Eye Services Committee Chair

Andy first traveled to Guatemala in 1978 and has worked in Hospital de la Familia’s Eye Center yearly since 1989 with his brother Bob. The region of San Marcos desperately needs a self-sustaining Guatemalan-led Eye Center– a vision that animates Andy’s work with HdlF Foundation and health workers in Guatemala. Andy has been a visionary and integral leader of the growth of the HdlF eye program in Nuevo Progreso.

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Lawrence Thal

Lawrence S. Thal,

OD

Governance & Nominations Committee Chair

Larry has been traveling to Hospital de la Familia since the mid-1980s and has taken many residents and all of his immediate family. It was on one of those trips that his youngest daughter decided she wanted to be a surgeon and carry on that tradition. She has done that! Larry has found his involvement with HdlF to be one of the most gratifying and rewarding experiences of his life.

Rupert Chowins,

OD

Medical Committee Chair

Rupert has traveled to Central America more than 25 times providing eyecare to those in need. He received his Optometry degree from the Illinois College Of Optometry in 1987. He started a free medical, eye and dental clinic in San Luis Obispo, CA in 2009 and served as chairman of the board and as the eye clinic Director. Rupert is also a senior Doctor at San Luis Obispo Eye Associates and works for the Glaukos corporation. He and his wife, Elizabeth, also a bilingual Optometrist, enjoy traveling, hiking, biking and kayaking near their home in Los Osos, CA.

Susan Lindheim,

MD

Maternal and Child Wellness and Education Committee Chair

Susan is a retired pediatrician who worked for more than 30 years at Kaiser Permanente in Richmond and Oakland, CA.  She received her MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and her MPH in Maternal and Child Health from UC Berkeley. She has been on many trips to Hospital de la Familia, the first in 1998.  One of her sons, after helping on a couple of trips, has become a physician and hopes to return to Nuevo Progreso soon. Susan joined the HdlF Foundation board in 2021.

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Michael Alvarez

Michael Alvarez

Marketing, Communications, and IT Committee Chair

Michael is a strategy consultant and has been an educator in academic medicine for more than fifteen years. He is an advisory board member for several early stage life science companies, and has authored many publications in Nature, Forbes, and a biomedical case study book for business and medical school training. “The healthcare and education being provided through HdlF are vital to the Northern Triangle region; it is an honor and truly rewarding to support such an important humanitarian cause.”

Maggie Carlson,

RN, BS

Medical Team Coordinator, HdlFF

Maggie lives in Eugene, Oregon and began participating in medical trips in 2012. She has worked as an operating room nurse in Ophthalmology since 1994. Her tireless preparation of the medical trips allows for a seamless rollout on the surgical day, allowing more efficiency and thus maximizing the number of surgeries performed and sight restored.
“Even though I have organized trips before, each year I still am profoundly surprised when the mountains of generous medical donations come in from supporters, the ophthalmic companies and humanitarian organizations. They make it possible for us to provide quality, state of the art surgical services and staff education.”

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - Jennifer Younger

Jennifer Younger

Executive Director, HdlFF

Jennifer has been traveling to Nuevo Progreso since 1989 and fell in love with the culture and people. “I feel very lucky that my grandfather, as a founding member of the organization, had the foresight to share this experience with me, and that I am able to continue the work of this very important and noble cause into the next generation.” She attended CSU Chico and earned a degree in International Relations with a focus on developing nations, and a minor in Latin American Studies.

DIRECTORS

Rhys Cheung, Attorney
Stephanie Lin, M.D.
Jaap Mandema
Kathleen McClure, R.N., B.S.N.
Milt McColl, M.D.

Michael J. McGlynn, Jr., M.D.
Chair Quality Assurance Sub-committee
Anne Morrissey
Matthew Russell, M.D., FACS
Robert Sorenson, M.D.

THE FOUR PILLARS OF OUR WORK

Hospital de la Familia Foundation - operating room

REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

HdlF treats nearly 20,000 patients annually. Guatemalan doctors provide general care and visiting U.S. medical teams perform specialized treatment and surgeries. Everyone receives care regardless of ability to pay.

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Hospital de la Familia Foundation - optometrist

SUSTAINABLE VISION CARE

La Familia Eye Center is committed to preventing and reversing vision loss through high-quality, self-sustaining, and locally driven care in an environment of continuous learning and innovation.

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Hospital de la Familia Foundation - little bertita

FIGHTING CHILD MALNUTRITION

HdlF treats chronically malnourished and diseased children, ages 0-5 years, with an in-patient rehabilitation program. Thousands of other children are treated by HdlF Guatemalan doctors for out-patient therapy.

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Hospital de la Familia Foundation - sponsored soccer program

SUPPORTING EDUCATION

We believe education is essential to ending poverty. The Foundation supports educational programs in Guatemala for both children and adults, including an elementary school and a nursing assistant school.

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Hospital de la Familia Foundation doc volunteer with children

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY

“My heart was deeply touched by my experience as a volunteer. I was moved by the devotion and commitment of all involved with hospital.”

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