Organization

HISTORY OF OPERATION WALK

Founded in 1994 by Lawrence D. Dorr, MD, Operation Walk surgeons, nurses and health professionals have operated on more than 3,000 patients in Russia, Cuba, Nepal, China, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Mexico, El Salvador, and the United States.

Operation Walk, Maryland was established by Harpal S. Khanuja, MD and Maria Khanuja, RN, and is supported by a dedicated team of colleagues and volunteers.

The mission of Operation Walk Maryland is to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged patients around the world suffering from joint diseases.

Operation Walk Maryland achieves this goal by the following:

• Providing free joint replacement surgery and care to impoverished individuals in need.
• Educating local orthopedic surgeons and their health care teams about the current treatment and technologies available to treat individuals suffering from debilitating joint disease.

Operation Walk Maryland commits to ongoing education and patient care in these impoverished communities. Operation Walk Maryland uses the best trained and skilled health care providers to delivery the highest level of care that we have in the United States. There is no cost to the patient or community that we serve.  All time and supplies are provided through donations.

Knee and hip replacements are among the most cost-effective medical procedures.  They greatly enhance the quality of life of those suffering with arthritic pain, so they can be more active members of their community.

For more information please visit OperationWalk.com

OPERATION WALK MARYLAND ORGANIZATION

Founders

Dr. Harpal S. Khanuja
Dr. Khanuja the Director of Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery at The Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics in Baltimore, MD.  He is fellowship trained in hip and knee replacement surgery.  Dr. Khanuja specializes in disorders of the hip and knee

Dr. Khanuja first met Dr. Larry Dorr while he was participating in The Knee Society’s John N. Insall Traveling Fellowship in 2006. As a result, Dr. Khanuja and Maria went on their first Operation Walk trip to El Salvador.  After this experience he and Maria decided to establish the Maryland Chapter of Operation Walk. For more information on Dr. Khanuja please visit his web site at DrKhanuja.com

Maria Khanuja
Maria is an orthopedic nurse and coordinator of Operation Walk Maryland.  After her first Operation Walk trip,  she knew she wanted to devote her time to this cause.  This was inspired by the appreciation expressed by the patients and the knowledge that they had given an opportunity to people who otherwise would never have one.

Board of Directors

• Prabhjot S. Likhari – Chairman
• Harpal S. Khanuja, MD
• Maria Khanuja, RN
• Gurminder S. Ahuja, MD
• Frank Ebert, MD

Dr. Gurminder S. Ahuja (Monty)
Dr. Ahuja, is the Chief of Orthopedic Surgery and Chief of Surgical Specialties for Kaiser Permanante in the Baltimore region. With residency training from the University of Illinois, he completed his fellowship training in Sports Medicine in Lexington, KY.  His practice consists  of sports reconstructive surgery and total joint replacements.

Monty started with Operation Walk at request of Paul and Maria Khanuja.  There dedication to this cause was transparent.

He is blessed with a wonderful wife, Jassi, and three lovely children, Raveena, Gurleen, and Aneel.

Executive Committee

• Medical Director – Harpal S. Khanuja, MD
• Secretary – Maria Khanuja, RN
• Treasurer – Gurminder S. Ahuja, MD
• Surgical Coordinator – Shruti Thomas, RN
• Supply Coordinator – Dotsie Czajkowski, CNRP
• Nursing Coordinator – Margaret Ratcliffe, RN
• Public Relations – Karen Kansler, RN, Kelly Stevens