On July 24, 2020 “Ken Walker University Clinic for Medical Rehabilitation” was opened in Tbilisi. The opening ceremony was attended by Giorgi Gakharia, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Archil Talakvadze, the Chairman of Parliament of Georgia, Kelly Degnan, the US Ambassador to Georgia, Ekaterine Tikaradze, the Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Professor Zurab Vadachkoria, Rector of Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU), Gia Morchiladze, Director of Forsyth Investment Group and Professor Irakli Natroshvili, the Director of the Clinic. The ceremony was also attended by the representatives from the Tbilisi City Hall, Ministries of Health and Social Affairs of Autonomous Republics of Adjara and Abkhazia, The Batumi Municipality City Hall, USAID, TSMU and affiliated clinics of the medical university, also staff from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center of Emory University and the Coalition for Independent Living (CIL).
“Ken Walker University Clinic for Medical Rehabilitation” is the first rehabilitation clinic equipped with innovative American and European high-technology medical facilities providing multi-discipline rehabilitation services to disabled people. The clinic was opened on July 1, 2020 and has been serving to disabled children and adults since then. The center employs local specialists trained under USAID and Emory's Physical Rehabilitation Project training program.
The project was financed by the Forsyth Investment Group. The investment covered $ 6 million in Tbilisi and Batumi. “Ken Walker University Clinic for Medical Rehabilitation” covers 8000 sq. building and 4500 sq. recreation and rehabilitation zone. The clinic can serve nearly 200 children and 250 adults simultaneously. At the same time, due to the growing interest in the Ken Walker Clinic from neighboring countries, additional funds will flow into the Georgian economy, which in turn will contribute to the development of medical tourism in our country. The Clinic is located in Gudamakhari Str. N 4 Tbilisi, (near the First university Clinic) and Bako Str. N 8 Batumi. The Clinic in Batumi started functioning from October, 2018 and is the provider of government programmes. The Clinic is supported by the USAID Physical Rehabilitation Project, Emory University along with TSMU, Partnership for International Development (PFID) and Coalition Independent Life (CIL).
In frames of Physical Rehabilitation Project development of professional programmes and reinforcement of TSMU rehabilitation faculty is envisaged. All the TSMU structural units of the rehabilitation field will be located in the newly opened Clinic in Tbilisi.
• TSMU Physical Medicine Department (Head of the Department, Dean of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Faculty, Professor Lela Maskhulia)
• TSMU Medical Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Department (Head of the Department, Director of “Ken walker University Clinic for Medical Rehabilitation”, Professor Irakli Natroshvili)
• TSMU Clinical Center of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (Director, Valeri Akhalkatsi)
• TSMU Department of Balneology and Physiotherapy (Head of the Department, Professor Neli Kakulia).
Prof. Kennett (Ken) Walker was the Professor of Internal Medicine and Neurology at Emory University (Atlanta, USA), an Honorary Doctor of TSMU, Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi and Georgia. Professor was involved in global health projects and in frames of the project visited Georgia either. The American professor had a great impact on the significant shifts in the Georgian healthcare system. Professor visited Georgia in 1992 within the framework of USAID program “Georgia to Georgia”. Under his support and supervision, the exchange programs for students, clinical personnel, young specialists and academic staff between TSMU and Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, USA) have been conducted. Walker directed the Atlanta-Tbilisi Healthcare Partnership, a collaboration between educational and health care institutions in the Republic of Georgia and Atlanta. They established the National Information Learning Center, participated in new laws and regulations reforming the healthcare sector, brought many Georgian medical students to Emory for internal medicine training and education in public health, modernized hospitals, started the field of emergency medicine and the modern emergency room, expanded nursing programs and education and planned a nursing school, also worked with Georgian scientists and physicians in AIDS and tuberculosis research and treatment.
The professor dedicated his entire professional life to development and education of medical students. He had good mentorship skills and trained a lot of internal medicine residents. In 2005 Walker was given honorary citizenship of the Republic of Georgia, and later in 2011 – honorary citizenship of Tbilisi. In 2016, the professor was awarded with the supreme award, “Hero" by the Georgia Hospital Association (USA) for his lifelong contribution to medical education.
Ken Walker’s one of the most important projects was USAID supported “Physical Rehabilitation project” supported by the Emory University School of Medicine (USA, Atlanta) in partnership with TSMU, PFID, CIL from September 2017. The aim of the project is development of physical rehabilitation service based on innovative technologies in Georgia. Unfortunately, it was the last project for the professor in Georgia as he died on February 22, 2018. The death of the professor was a great loss for the medical society and Georgia as well.
