The Dr. Joseph R. Masci Legacy Project

AIHA launched this project in September 2024 with support from Dr. Joseph R. Masci’s family. It represents a framework for individual donors to honor the memory of a loved one or support a cause that means a great deal to them by making positive, lasting improvements in health service delivery in communities that need our technical assistance.

Through the project, AIHA’s technical assistance approach at Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (DB) in Ethiopia and Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila is based on key priorities and needs identified by these hospitals.

AIHA’s dynamic, flexible technical assistance model makes it uniquely well-suited to implement a wide range of health systems strengthening and human resources for health projects funded by individuals or family foundations looking to make a tangible, sustainable difference in low- and middle-income countries around the globe.

Selected outcomes include:

• Supporting reconstruction and outfitting of PGH’s resident-fellow training hall, which was destroyed by two devastating fires in 2024;
• Providing scholarships to enable 15 PGH residents to complete a mandatory specialty study abroad course and selecting a second cohort for 2026;
• Providing technical assistance to strengthen the PGH’s pandemic and emergency preparedness;
• Establishing an HIV and infectious diseases mentorship program to improve practitioner knowledge and patient outcomes at PGH;
• Strengthening HIV service delivery at the PGH HIV treatment hub (SAGIP Clinic) through systematic data quality improvement, enhancement of patient case management, and improved coordination of follow-up care to ensure continuity and better patient outcomes;
• Improving the quality of DB’s nursing services by enhancing and expanding skills-based competencies of nurses;
• Implementing quality improvement initiatives designed to address significant gaps identified in infection prevention and patient safety at DB; and
• Refurbishing and upgrading DB’s Continuing Professional Development Center and Nursing Skills Lab to better support quality training and upskilling activities – as of June 2026, 577 health workers have received training across nearly 20 topics identified as priorities for the hospital.

For more detailed information and history about the Dr. Joseph R. Masci Legacy Project, please click here.

In November 2025, DB conducted a four-day basic NICU Training focused on equipping health workers with essential competencies required for assessing, stabilizing, and managing critically ill newborns. It also aimed to enhance the overall quality of care delivered in the NICU, maternity, delivery, emergency, and pediatric units.