Dr. David Hennessey, M.D., is a pediatrician who practiced at Sewickley Valley Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and has volunteered his services in remote regions of Guatemala. He was in active practice for 45 years. Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) selected Dr. Hennessey for one of its Everyday Hero Awards.

Dr. Hennessey earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, Good Samaritan Hospital. His service to the community started with a four-year stint in the Air Force following his residency. After his military service ended, he decided that he wanted to bring pediatrics to a rural area where there is a desperate need for Doctors and spent time practicing in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

He and his wife Anne then chose to settle in the Pittsburgh area. He joined Sewickley Valley Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in Wexford (SVPAM) in 1986 and was an SVPAM partner. Dr. Hennessey practiced at SVPAM in Wexford, Pennsylvania, for 33 years, until his retirement earlier this year. His compassion for his Patients made a strong impression on his colleagues at Sewickley Valley Pediatrics. The legacy he leaves include comments from colleagues who share that Dr. Hennessey always went above and beyond for his Patients and their families, making sure to spend as much time with them as needed and helping them to navigate care pathways outside the office.

However, what makes Dr. Hennessey a hero to PAMED goes beyond his practice in Pennsylvania. For the past 19 years, Dr. Hennessey has volunteered with medical mission trips to Guatemala, including working in villages nestled high in the Guatemalan mountains 9,000 feet above sea level. He spends one to two weeks providing pediatric care in these rural areas. He says the families he meets there are wonderful and courageous.

“It’s a whole different experience of pediatrics,” he says. The health problems he sees in the children there are unlike those he encountered while practicing in Pennsylvania. The teams he works with treat conditions like parasitic ailments and respiratory diseases caused by cooking over open fires.

Guatemala has a large rural population. Many of the villages where Dr. Hennessey volunteers are not accessible by vehicle, and his team carries their equipment and supplies in by horseback.

He first got involved with medical mission trips through friends at his daughter’s church. Over the years, he has volunteered with several organizations – most recently with Children of the Americas, a non-profit volunteer group that provides medical services to the women and children of Guatemala.

“It’s been an important part of my career,” says Dr. Hennessey of his volunteer work. “The need is tremendous.”

Dr. Hennessey has been inspired throughout his career by a New Testament Bible verse from Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Pediatrics proved to be a calling for Dr. Hennessey. “I never regretted my decision,” he says about his choice of specialty. When he first decided to become a Physician, he had plans to join his uncle as a family Physician in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Once he entered his residency, though, he realized that he enjoyed working with children and he chose pediatrics. 3

Story courtesy of the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) who presents the Everyday Hero Award, which is designed to showcase talented Physicians who probably don’t view themselves as heroes, but to Patients and colleagues, they are. The award is a monthly member honor. Learn more at PAMED’s website.