Howard Mettee, PhD - Professor of Chemistry at YSU arranged for a delegation of 11 Russian doctors from five regions in Russia: Moscow, Tyumen, Krasnodar, Perm and Ekaterinburg to tour northeast Ohio. The group is spending two weeks in the United States to learn more about the practice of medicine in the United States. They hope to discover ways to improve patient care and practice management back home in their own country. They are interested in the systems of quality control in medicine, the effective organization of doctors and medical personnel. This was a true "citizen-to-citizen" contact with no government interferences. Since 1995 a concerned citizens group supported Russians to come here during the transition from Communism to Capitalism. These delegates paid 100% of the trip themselves. They were specific in announcing that they were from Russia and not the Soviet Union.Hosts are Rotary Clubs of Austintown, Boardman and Canfield. They are staying in the homes of Rotarian families. They presented the club with both flags and a granite nameplate and ended with saying,"God Bless America". Group includes: Susan Leetch Austintown Rotary President, Irina Kuznetsova, Tatyana Goryacheva, Stanislav Tulupov, Deanna Spirko, Marina Balkhovskikh, Ayrat Khanov, Mikhail Stepanov, Lyubov Ivanova, Natalyn Kharlamova, Tatyana Zaytseva, Howard Mettee, Bryan Laraway, Ilya Lozovik