ECMO | Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Curt Froehlich Education Award: Apply or Donate
The Curt Froehlich Education Award is named in honor of the former ELSO Chair of Logistics & Education. Dr. Froehlich's appointment was distinguished by a selfless devotion to the pursuit and advancement of ECMO education both locally and internationally. In honor of his commitment, and to expand ECMO education globally, the Curt Froehlich Education Award was established to support individuals with limited financial resources who are committed to medical education and to improving ECMO care. The Curt Froehlich Education Award covers the cost of registration. This is an annual award.
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Curt's Legacy
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Dr. Curtis Froehlich, an inspiring leader in ECMO education, has died, at 47 years of age, at his home with friends and family from complications of bladder cancer
Curt was a selfless, hardworking, compassionate person. He always had a smile and kind word for everyone around him, often going an extra mile to help others before himself. His unflappable spirit and charismatic personality made him a natural mentor and teacher, in particular, in one of the most complex and technically challenging subspecialities of critical care medicine, ECMO.
Curt's appointment as the Chair of Education & Logistics, for the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO), was distinguished by an altruistic devotion to the pursuit and advancement of ECMO education both locally and internationally. He has made an indelible mark on the organization’s work in this arena. He was a consummate pioneer, proving to be ahead of his time. He was the first to encourage the use of online platforms to allow for the possibility of delivering high quality, standardized ECMO education, that could be accessible around the world. His passion and innovation positioned the organization’s education committee to follow that dream. In honor of his commitment, and in an effort to expand ECMO education globally, the Dr Froehlich Education Award was established, in September 2019, to support educational efforts for individuals with limited financial resources.
Curt completed medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his Pediatric Residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He would return to San Antonio in 2007, in his first faculty role. Curt completed his Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship in Atlanta, GA at Emory University/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. A place where his passion for ECMO continued to grow, and where he met the love of his life, Kendra whom he married in 2009. In 2016, Dr. Froehlich took an appointment at the Nemours Alfred I Dupont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE. Dr. Froehlich was named the Critical Care ECMO Director and served on various committees. He was a champion for many hospital initiatives and always tried to leave a project, or place, better than when he started. He wanted others to learn from his experiences.
Born in Cook County, Illinois, he was the son of Donald and Patricia Froehlich. In addition to his parents, Curt is survived by his wife, Kendra, his brother Christian, and his beloved menagerie of pets (Harley, Gene, Emmet Ebenezer, Enzo Jefferson, and Finnegan the Fearless). We extend our deepest condolences to them. Curt will be deeply missed.
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