Orthofix Donates Medical Equipment to Global Nonprofit Steps2Walk, Inc.

Orthopedic devices and equipment will help patients in under-served regions around the world with severe ankle and foot deformities

Steps2Walk, Inc., an international humanitarian nonprofit providing foot and ankle surgeries and education in under-served regions around the world, today announced an in-kind donation by Orthofix Medical, Inc.. The donation includes more than 50 orthopedic foot and ankle implants and associated instrument sets Steps2Walk will use in its surgical and educational missions.

Because many of the countries where Steps2Walk holds its programs are under-resourced, particularly when it comes to quality healthcare services, the organization often relies on donations, volunteers and local fundraising from the hosting medical personnel to perform its life-changing operations and deliver advanced education and training to local surgeons.

“Orthofix’s in-kind donation of medical equipment will be critical to our 2024 missions, beginning with our program in Pakistan in February,” said Dr. Mark Myerson, founder of Steps2Walk and a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon. “Many patients we see in the countries we visit have severe foot and ankle deformities and little to no access to basic medical support devices, let alone surgical care. With this donation, we can impact the lives of thousands of patients across the regions we visit.”

A leading global spine and orthopedics company, Orthofix produces medical devices and innovative solutions for a variety of procedures, including those focused on repairing foot and ankle trauma or deformities.

“At Orthofix, we strive to improve the lives of patients around the globe,” said Kim Elting, President of Global Orthopedics. “We are pleased to partner with Steps2Walk in support of their mission of giving individuals in underserved areas around the world the ‘Gift of Walking.’ We were proud to partner with the Steps2Walk team to identify how we could best support their mission and the patients and surgeons impacted by their programs.”

In 2024, Steps2Walk has 18 programs planned, including missions into countries where there is only one orthopedic surgeon who can treat severe foot and ankle deformities for every 50 million people. For this reason, the organization prioritizes providing intensive training and education so that local surgical residents can provide much-needed patient care.

“The devices and equipment donated by Orthofix will not only help us perform surgeries while on each mission,” said Dr. Myerson. “But they will also ensure we have the tools needed to demonstrate to our program registrants, the local surgeons themselves, advanced surgical techniques and practices they otherwise wouldn’t learn.”

For more information on how to become a volunteer faculty member or trainee participant in one of Steps2Walk’s programs, visit https://steps2walk.org/faculty/. Steps2Walk also accepts online donations, which can give the gift of walking to those who need it most and help fund critical training and education programs for regional orthopedic surgeons.

About Steps2Walk

Steps2Walk, a 501(c)(3) organization, is an international network of surgeons working to perform surgical care on individuals suffering from severe foot and ankle deformities in under-served regions of the world, while simultaneously educating orthopedic surgeons in various treatment and care alternatives. Founded by Dr. Mark Myerson in 2000 to provide a sustainable model of care and surgical training and to help patients regain their mobility and improve their quality of life, Steps2Walk envisions a world where everyone, no matter their circumstances, has access to quality surgical foot and ankle care. In its 23 years of service, Steps2Walk has completed more than 1,550 surgical operations and trained more than 1,500 regional surgeons in over 24 countries around the globe. By investing time into educating local surgeons and revisiting countries where the need is greatest and the resources are few, Steps2Walk is creating a lasting impact that will ultimately give The Gift of Walking to thousands of people worldwide.