I plan to journey to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, to work with the Interventional Radiology (IR) staff and trainees of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and the Hospital Taifa Muhimbili. I will be part of a team that includes myself, the physician, as well as an IR nurse and IR technologist, working under the auspices of the organization Road2IR. They have established a sustained successful IR training program certified by Tanzania's government in 2019, one of only 3 such programs in all of sub-Saharan Africa.
As an Interventional Radiologist, I will be treating the population in and around Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, as well as patients who may travel from even farther distances for treatment. I will be treating patients of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic levels. I will be providing both routine and emergency care, performing the full range of minor to life-saving procedures.
Just as importantly, I will be working with and training the Interventional Radiology trainees and staff of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and the Hospital Taifa Muhimbili. I will training them to perform the amazing, life-saving, minimally invasive image-guided procedures that my specialty has to offer.
My clinical subspecializations include women's and men's health, treating benign genitourinary diseases such as uterine fibroids and adenomyosis in women, benign prostatic hyperplasia in men, and gonadal venous reflux in both women (pelvic congestion syndrome) and men (varicocele). These diseases cause pain, severe bleeding, severe urinary symptoms, urinary retention, and even problems like urine infection, stone disease, and renal failure. I treat these diseases with safe, effective, minimally invasive outpatient embolization procedures. Indeed, I will be focusing on treating patients with these problems, and training the IR physicians in Dar es Salaam to continue performing these procedures long after I have gone.
As stated above, I will be treating the population in and around Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, as well as some patients who may travel from even farther distances for treatment. I will be treating patients of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic levels. I will be providing both routine and emergency care, performing the full range of minor to life-saving procedures. Just as importantly, I will be working with and training the Interventional Radiology trainees and staff of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and the Hospital Taifa Muhimbili. I will training them to perform the amazing, life-saving, minimally invasive image-guided procedures that my specialty has to offer.
As state above, my clinical subspecializations include women's and men's health, treating benign genitourinary diseases such as uterine fibroids and adenomyosis in women, benign prostatic hyperplasia in men, and gonadal venous reflux in both women (pelvic congestion syndrome) and men (varicocele). These diseases cause pain, severe bleeding, severe urinary symptoms, urinary retention, and even problems like urine infection, stone disease, and renal failure. I treat these diseases with safe, effective, minimally invasive outpatient embolization procedures. Indeed, I will be focusing on treating patients with these problems, and training the IR physicians in Dar es Salaam to continue performing these procedures long after I have gone.
The people in Mwandi, Zambia were so warm, welcoming, and deeply appreciative of our care. We performed over 60+ cases in the span of only a week and a half. Patients came from all over the countryside to be evaluate.Many patients asked to take photos with us, and their gratitude was uplifting. These moments reminded me of why I entered medicine in the first place. I came back to the United States and my home institution with a renewed sense of purpose and passion for the surgical care I provide.
I will be continuing my education in surgical critical care at an institution that highly values and promotes engagement in global surgical projects. I hope to continue this important work. As a resident, I’m not sure I would have been able to financially afford going on this trip if it wasn’t for the generosity of the Doximity Foundation. Thank you for making this experience possible.
