Dr. Albert E. Henn didn't want to hear about retiring. The Wayne State University Medical School graduate had devoted his life to improving the quality of health care for the poor and underserved in Africa and he wasn't about to stop just because he'd reached the age of 70 earlier this year. But his work was cut short May 5, when he died in the crash of a Ken-yan airliner in Cameroon. At the time, he was director of Liverpool VCT Care and Treatment, an organization that provides diagnostic, counseling and support services to people who wish to test their HIV status.

Dr. Henn began his medical care in the Army as a surgical nurse and x-ray technician in Korea before attending medical school at Wayne State. After completing his internship at Detroit hospitals, he joined the Peace Corps and served in the West African countries of Togo and Benin before be-coming regional medical officer for the organization in Washington, D.C.

After completing a pediatric residency at Boston Children's Hospital, he entered the Harvard School of Public Health, where he made a career shift from clinical medicine to public health in the 1980s. He directed the former Harvard Institute for International Development. His career included a stint with the U.S. Agency for International De-velopment and with a variety of health organizations in Africa, including the African Medical and Research Foundation, based in Nairobi.

"My father was an amazing person," Henn's daughter Julia told The Boston Globe in a telephone interview from her home in Uganda. "He just loved his work so much . . . and he touched many people in his life."

Media reports talk of Dr. Henn's working tirelessly to develop public health systems for combating HIV/AIDS and training Africans from many countries to operate their own programs. To find out more about Dr. Henn's expansive work, follow this link.
http://www.twinningagainstaids.org/pr-050907-twinning.html