Zenko Hrynkiw
Zenko John-Gregory Hrynkiw (born c. 1951) is a neurosurgeon on staff at Trinity Medical Center.
Hrynkiw graduated from the Stritch School Of Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois in 1977 and completed his internship at Loyola University Hospital and a residency with the University of West Ontario Affiliated Hospitals in Ontario, Canada. He was board certified as a neurologist in 1987.
In 2011 a jury awarded Tom Trammell $2.2 million in a lawsuit against Hrynkiw, finding that he improperly caused a complication while performing back surgery in 2005, and improperly allowed complications from the surgery to go untreated. The finding was upheld on appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.
Hrynkiw gained national attention after he walked six miles in the midst of the 2014 winter storm, wearing scrubs and slip-ons to reach a patient in time to perform life-saving surgery. He was working at Brookwood Medical Center when he received the call that his patient's condition was deteriorating. With all other means of transportation unavailable, he set out on foot, helping stranded motorists along the way. He got as far as Crestline Village before a car was able to pick him up and bring him to the hospital on Montclair Road.
In December 2014, Hrynkiw was named a 2014 Healthcare Community All Star by Safety National, which provides workers' compensation coverage. Each winner chooses a charity to receive $10,000 in their name. Hrynkiw chose Operation Smile, which provides children cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries.
References
- Hubbard, Russell (March 08, 2011) "$2.2 million jury award against doctor is 3rd large award in Jefferson County in just over a month." The Birmingham News
- Oliver, Mike (January 30, 2014) "What's the big deal? asks doctor who walked 6 miles in snow to perform life-saving brain surgery." The Birmingham News
- Stein, Kelsey (January 3, 2015) "Doctor who braved snow to perform life-saving surgery honored, donates $10,000 prize to children's charity." The Birmingham News