Student-led nonprofit wins international road safety prize
LFR International was recognized by Prince Michael of Kent for its work in improving the emergency medical response to traffic accidents in the countries it serves
LFR International, a nonprofit organization co-founded by a McKelvey School of Engineering student, was recently awarded the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award by Prince Michael of Kent.
Co-founders Zach Eisner, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, and Peter Delaney, who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the College of Arts & Sciences in 2018, were recognized for their work improving emergency response, treatment and transfer of people injured in traffic accidents. Eisner and Delaney are among the youngest recipients of the award in its 33-year history.
“Through developing and publishing upon the ‘LFR Model’ of prehospital care, we have managed to create a cost-effective, sustainable and scalable method to provide prehospital emergency medical services in resource-limited settings,” Eisner said. “We hope to continue expanding our programming in future years to alleviate the burden of injury caused by road traffic incidents.”
LFR International’s overall mission is to expand emergency medical services to areas without preexisting services or resources by training local first responders and instructors. In the past five years, it has expanded into Uganda, Chad, Guatemala and Sierra Leone, where members trained more than 5,000 first responders in emergency trauma care.
“It hasn’t been easy running an international nonprofit as two students, and our biggest challenge is often proving our legitimacy,” Eisner said. “With that said, I hope this honor will serve as a seal of legitimacy to potential collaborators and donors so we can continue to grow our operations and partner with future stakeholders.”
