Under Dr. Furey’s leadership, Team Broken Earth has completed six successful missions to Haiti, providing care for more than 500 patients per week. Dr. Furey is also a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and has published numerous research papers in the field of orthopedic surgery.

Dr. Furey has done heroic volunteer work in Haiti in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake in 2010 that leveled the capital city of Port au Prince, killing 200,000 people and leaving more than a million people homeless. His first medical mission was in June 2010 through the University of Maryland, where he had spent a fellowship year. He was accompanied on that first mission by Dr. Allison Furey (Class of 2001) and Dr. Will Moores (Class of 2007). On his return, Dr. Furey founded Team Broken Earth, a volunteer team of physicians, nurses and physiotherapists, who have subsequently made five missions to Haiti.

Team Broken Earth is the first collective of Eastern Health and Memorial University employees involved in an international relief effort. The team has become a tremendous force in Haiti, capable of caring for more than 500 patients per week.

The long term goals of Team Broken Earth are to establish and fund sustainable programs throughout rural Haitian communities, to train Haitian doctors, nurses and allied health care workers, and to provide supplies, equipment and technologies to medical facilities in Haiti. Several MUN medical residents have been part of Broken Earth teams, and in February 2012 the dean of medicine, Dr. James Rourke, joined the mission. 

The work of Team Broken Earth has captured the imagination of the media in Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition to the numerous interviews with Dr. Furey and other members of the team, NTV’s Darrin Bent accompanied the team to Haiti in February 2012 and did live reports on their work. The team has also been successful in raising money locally to finance the Haitian relief efforts.

The other Alumni Tribute Award winners this year are Lieutenant-Governor John C. Crosbie (J.D. Eaton Alumni Award), Tom Mills (Alumni Award for Outstanding Community Service) and W. Josh Quinton (Horizon Award, recognizing exceptional achievement by alumni under the age of 35) The 31st Annual Alumni Tribute Awards ceremony will take place Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland. To purchase tickets, please call the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development at 709-864-4354 or email rsvpalumni@mun.ca. Tickets are $125 per person and are only available in advance.