On January 16, the Foundation was honored to host international diplomat and wellness advocate, General Bernard Loeffke, to begin preliminary discussions about focused ultrasound technology and the Foundation’s potential opportunities for collaboration in China.
Over the last nine years, the Foundation has sponsored 76 research projects in Europe, Asia, and North America, but none have been funded in China despite that fact that it is one of the leading hubs of focused ultrasound success. With more than 85 commercial centers, 27 centers conducting research, and 7 manufacturers in China, opportunities for medical research exchange may be increasing due to a newly extended US-China agreement that allows visas between the nations to be issued for up to 10 years.
The US-China relationship has been a long-time interest of General Loeffke, who has worked for decades to foster international dialogue and collaboration. He served as the Commanding General of Army South and completed several combat tours in Southeast Asia. Today he participates in medical missions in war-torn and impoverished areas throughout the world; he created the Friendship Fund at the United States Military Academy to strengthen friendships between young leaders of China, the former Soviet Union, and the United States; and he is working to forge international partnerships with China to fund medical centers in the Caribbean and Central America.
As former advisor to the President’s Council on Physical fitness, US Army Swimming Champion, and a military decathlon and marathon runner who now suffers from war-related injuries, the General views wellness and access to medical resources as a primary pathway for overcoming international divides. In the General’s words, “medicine is the bridge to peace.”
“It is the role of leaders to keep hope alive,” the General said, “and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation is the guiding light for focused ultrasound research. The Foundation is essential in keeping hope alive for the many patients who would benefit from this groundbreaking technology.”
The General has also joined our proactive community of donors who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with leading clinicians and scientists in academia and industry to advance development of focused ultrasound technology. As he explained, he chose to give because “the Focused Ultrasound Foundation is helping those who need help most, with the most up-to-date technology.”