Lt. Col. Chad Hivnor, MD, was recently selected to receive the Air Force Association’s Paul W. Meyers Award for his work using lasers to improve skin texture and flexibility for wounded warriors, according to a report from Air Education and Training Command.
Hivnor, a dermatologist with the 59th Medical Specialty Squadron, was awarded a $1.1 million grant to study improvement in range of motion using lasers on burn and amputee scars in a joint research project with Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriner’s Hospital of Boston.
“By using a carbon dioxide laser, a number of wounded warriors were able to be treated for their burns and scars, to include leg amputations,” Hivnor stated. “We were then able to increase the sweat and decrease hair which causes frictional folliculitis, a skin condition caused by inflammation of hair follicles due to the prosthetics. We’re really helping the wounded warriors to assimilate back into society.”
The Paul W. Myers award is presented to the Air Force medical corps officer who has made a significant contribution to the health care of the men and women of the Air Force. Hivnor will receive the award at the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 16.
Disclosure: Hivnor reported no relevant financial disclosures.
