Education of Ob-Gyn postgraduate training at HUMP to improve the knowledge and skills of HUMP Ob-Gyn staff and specialists. I will be working with physicians in the operating room and plan to focus on minimally invasive surgical approaches including laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. In addition I will be lecturing to medical students and residents on topics related to the care of mid-life women and menopause.
Hue is located in one of the poorest regions of Vietnam where medical care is much more basic than found in the larger cities.
Improvement in minimally invasive gynecologic surgical skills will improve quality of care as this approach avoids large incisions, markedly decreases length of hospitalization and reduces required off from the responsibilities of work, family and home. Increased knowledge of therapeutic options for symptomatic mid-life women will improve the quality of life of this population.
I recently retired from a full scope OBGYN practice at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael, CA and I am eager to share the skills and knowledge that I accumulated over my 35 years in practice. I feel strongly that the only way to improve the quality of medical care is through the education of local caregivers so that the expertise does not depart with the volunteer. To this end, my goal is to improve the lives of the women who live in and around Hue, Vietnam by helping local physicians gain confidence with new surgical approaches and medical therapies.
I was fortunate to interact with many OBGYN Residents as well as the the professors and staff physicians. Approximately 50% of them could converse with me in English, and with patience on both ends of the conversation communication was most often successful. Their desire to learn and do well was consistently apparent. The lack of a common language prevented me from having nuanced conversations with patients; physicians were happy to interpret when available.
I am extremely appreciative of Doximity's financial support which made it possible for me to travel to Hue University of Pharmacy and Medicine in Vietnam. I spent two weeks exchanges ideas, teaching, mentoring and hopefully inspiring physicians to incorporate new techniques and ideas into their practices.
