Portland physician Dr. Gavin Button, an orthopedic surgeon at The Oregon Clinic, is part of a multi-year mission to provide free or low-cost, high-quality surgical hip replacement and rehab care to patients in Ethiopia.
Since 2021, Dr. Button has traveled to the Negele Arsi General Hospital and Medical Center (NAGHMC) twice a year providing care and tutoring. The majority of patients in rural Ethiopia who suffer a hip fracture or are disabled by hip arthritis are unable to find quality care, leaving them with limited mobility and at risk of serious injury or death. This program, run by the nonprofit organization Ethiopia Health Aid, aims to change that.
In addition to providing care, a key component of the program includes training and mentoring local orthopedic surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare professionals on surgical techniques and treatments for diseases of the hip. NAGHMC’s local medical teams can continue treating patients after the US-based surgeons leave. The surgeons mentored during these missions are eventually fully trained and able to provide services on their own, significantly broadening the positive impact these missions have on patients and the community.
“The opportunity to heal patients who might otherwise go without proper treatment, while also giving local providers the resources to support their own community, is exceptionally fulfilling,” says Dr. Button. “This program is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done professionally.”
Dr. Button’s interest began after operating on an Ethiopian woman here in the US. The patient’s son, serving as a translator for her specific Ethiopian dialect, described the difficulties of getting care in rural Ethiopia and the serious consequences people faced without access to hip replacement.
After years of research and preparation, Dr. Button first visited NAGHMC in 2019 to establish their first hip replacement surgical program, the only one of its kind in the region. On this initial trip, Dr. Button trained two Ethiopian surgeons and performed 10 hip replacement surgeries. In the following years, Dr. Button has returned a dozen times and trained three local surgeons at NAGHMC to perform hip replacements independently. Since beginning his work, two of his colleagues have also started taking their own trips, providing additional treatment and training at NAGHMC. Dr. Samuel Bartholomew, a plastic surgeon at The Oregon Clinic, has also traveled to Ethiopia to train local surgeons.
A recent study detailing this program’s success was published this summer by the Journal of Bone & Join Surgery Open Access. The study concluded that initial outcomes from the program have substantially improved patient quality of life in the region. Between September 2021 and March 2025, a total of 97 primary total hip arthroplasty and 35 hemi arthroplasty procedures were performed with minimal complications, and 29 performed by an Ethiopian team alone.
“Early Outcomes of a Hip Arthroplasty Program in Rural Ethiopia”
JBJS Open Access
June 15, 2026
Investigation performed at Negele Arsi General Hospital, Negele Arsi, Ethiopia
Contributors to development: Angie Hengelmann C.S.T., Maureen (Julie) Hilburger P.T.A., Annie Bong P.T., D.P.T. Contributor to analysis: Grant Button.