[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 26, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING DR. THOMAS M. GELLHAUS' LIFELONG DEDICATION TO WOMEN'S HEALTH 
                      AT HOME AND AROUND THE GLOBE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BRUCE L. BRALEY

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 26, 2011

  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring the House's 
attention to the work and dedication of one of my constituents, Dr. 
Thomas M. Gellhaus.
  Dr. Gellhaus is a longtime obstetrician-gynecologist in Davenport, 
Iowa, and earned his medical degree at the University of Iowa. He has 
delivered a generation of Iowans, cared for our daughters, wives, 
mothers, and grandmothers, and done everything he can to make sure 
their health is well-cared for.
  For many years, Dr. Gellhaus has held a leadership position among ob-
gyn members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 
in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, 
Wisconsin, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. He leaves this position this 
year, but leaves physicians with a long legacy of advocacy and caring 
for their patients.
  Dr. Gellhaus has been a key advocate for patient safety in ob-gyn 
care and care for underserved women throughout the world. He's been a 
member of ACOG's Executive Board, helping guide health care policy; in 
1999, he was chosen for ACOG's prestigious McCain Fellow Advocacy 
Program, in which a practicing ob-gyn works with Congress and the 
Administration; and was a member of the 2002 Class of the Primary 
Health Care Fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services. Dr. Gellhaus recently endowed a new program, the ACOG 
Gellhaus Resident Fellow Advocacy Award, which encourages 3rd and 4th 
year ob-gyn residents to work with Congress on behalf of women's 
health.
  In addition to a very busy private practice, since 1996, Dr. Gellhaus 
has dedicated nearly a year of his life to the preparation for and 
participation in international health mission projects. These projects 
have taken him to Central America, South America, Africa and the 
Dominican Republic. He has been the project medical director for most 
of these missions; organizing, fundraising, securing medical supplies 
and recruiting medical personnel. During the missions, Dr. Gellhaus has 
worked with over 559 other mission participants. His medical teams 
have, over the years, had more than 18,520 patient encounters, 
dispensed 48,052 prescriptions and have performed more than 1,472 
surgical procedures.
  He has personally financed the cost of many participants' missionary 
project costs, without which they would not have been able to 
participate. Dr. Gellhaus' deep faith and compassion are lived through 
these medical missions. In 1999, Dr. Gellhaus was honored with the ACOG 
Award for International Service in recognition of his mission work in 
third world countries.
  Dr. Gellhaus has a beautiful family, with his wife, Melanie, and 
their 3 daughters. He reminds us of what is right in America. It is my 
pleasure to honor Dr. Gellhaus' work and dedication.

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