As an anesthesia resident, I plan to be an active force in advancing access to safe anesthesia and critical care in low- and middle-income countries. I will be traveling with one of my regional anesthesia attendings to Zambia, where we will teach anesthesia providers how to perform regional nerve blocks. These skills are essential in settings with limited resources, as regional anesthesia can reduce reliance on general anesthesia and improve patient safety. Through immersive hands-on training, close collaboration with local providers, and participation in targeted educational and clinical initiatives, I aim to empower healthcare teams to deliver safer, more effective surgical care. My goal is not just to contribute temporarily but to help lay the foundation for enduring improvements in patient care.
This work has the power to transform lives—patients will receive safer surgeries, providers will gain vital skills, and healthcare systems will become more resilient. Teaching regional anesthesia is especially impactful, as it enables providers to deliver high-quality care in low-resource settings, reducing complications and enhancing recovery. By sharing knowledge and building trust alongside dedicated professionals in these regions, I can help create sustainable improvements that ripple far beyond my time there. These efforts will not only save lives but also strengthen communities and inspire further advancements in global health. This isn’t just a project—it’s a step toward a future where equitable, safe anesthesia is a reality for everyone, everywhere.
People in Zambia, especially those requiring surgical care, will benefit profoundly from this project. In low- and middle-income countries such as Zambia, limited access to safe anesthesia results in unnecessary suffering, preventable complications, and avoidable deaths—issues no one should face in the modern world. This population represents a critical intersection of need and opportunity, where even modest investments in education, training, and resources can lead to transformative, life-saving outcomes. By collaborating with and empowering local providers, we will create sustainable solutions that bridge gaps in care and ensure safer surgeries for generations to come. This work is about restoring dignity, equity, and hope to those who need it most.
This project will create a ripple effect of positive change: empowering local providers, improving patient outcomes, and building sustainable systems for safe anesthesia in underserved regions. The experience will transform me as a clinician and advocate, deepening my commitment to addressing global health inequities. Upon returning, I will actively share my knowledge and insights, inspiring my peers to engage in global health efforts and integrating these learnings into my career to drive impactful change at home and abroad. This is not just a project—it's a lifelong commitment to making anesthesia safer and more equitable worldwide.
This mission to Zambia focused on training local anesthesia residents in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia—a skillset that is both powerful and underutilized in many low-resource settings. For these residents, our annual regional anesthesia mission is more than just a brief educational exchange; it serves as their primary exposure to formal instruction in this critical technique.
Despite facing systemic limitations and resource constraints, the residents showed remarkable dedication, curiosity, and growth. Over the course of the program, we witnessed a visible transformation in their comfort with nerve blocks, probe handling, anatomy recognition, and needle guidance. Their enthusiasm was palpable, and their gratitude, humbling. Many shared that they rely on this program each year to build skills they otherwise wouldn't have access to.
This experience reinforced how meaningful skill-sharing can be—especially in settings where a single new technique can drastically change patient outcomes. It also highlighted the importance of sustained partnerships in global health. What we offered in those days wasn’t just technical knowledge, but empowerment—confidence in their ability to safely and independently perform procedures that can reduce perioperative pain, shorten recovery times, and improve surgical outcomes.
This trip served as a reminder that global health isn’t about what we bring in—it’s about building capacity so that the benefits last long after we’re gone. With just a few portable ultrasound machines, collaborative teaching, and mutual respect, we helped expand a curriculum that these residents will carry forward for years to come.
