I will be joining multiple faculty and mentors from my otolaryngology residency program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas to help evaluate and treat pediatric patients with complex aerodigestive pathologies at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru, India. Dr. Deepak Mehta, Professor in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery will be leading the team of accomplished surgeons from Texas Children’s Hospital including Dr. Julina Ongkasuwan, Professor in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and Dr. Nikhila Raol, Associate Professor in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. Mehta helped establish and continue this program with Manipal Hospital over the past two decades. With the team of local and international surgeons, we will evaluate and treat patients with a variety of pathologies including tracheal and subglottic stenosis, laryngeal clefts, complete tracheal rings and more. The surgical interventions include formal airway evaluations with direct laryngoscopy and rigid bronchoscopy, laryngotracheal reconstructions, balloon dilations, tracheostomies, and more. The Manipal Foundation organizes the clinical logistics and funds the free care for these patients. Patients will continue to receive long term care with local otolaryngologists in the region after conclusion of the week-long trip.
I am inspired to participate in this program after my resident mentor, Nicole Stoler, one of the chief otolaryngology residents at Baylor College of Medicine attended two years ago. She highlighted the personal and professional growth she gained from the experience, the connections she made with local physicians, including both pediatricians and otolaryngologists, and how it further drove her to pursue a career in pediatric otolaryngology. Like her, my role will be to assist with patient assessment, pre- and post-operative care, as well as assist with teaching surgical skills.
Manipal Hospital is located in Bengaluru, India, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. The city is home to over 9 million people, making it the 3rd largest city in the country, superseded by only Mumbai and Delhi. Children who suffer from airway stenosis and other complex aerodigestive pathologies will travel with their families from throughout the state to access free surgical care. Dr. Mehta, who founded and continues to grow this global health initiative, organizes this annual trip to Bengaluru to provide care to patients from the city where he received is Medical Doctorate 30 years ago. Otolaryngologists from throughout the country travel to Bengaluru to learn and develop the skills necessary to perform high quality, high impact aerodigestive surgeries, and local pediatricians learn how to evaluate and manage stridor, obstructive sleep apnea, dysphagia, and more, and help to follow the patients long-term after the trip concludes.
This trip is scheduled to take place in September of my third year of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery residency. From my pediatric otolaryngology rotations at Texas Children’s Hospital over the past two years, I have developed a strong interest in the subspecialty and plan to pursue a career in pediatric otolaryngology. Personally, I will gain operative skills and knowledge from this experience that will be invaluable in my development as a pediatric otolaryngologist in residency, fellowship, and my future career. The interpersonal skills I will develop from working with families and physicians from India will be vital to my training taking care of patients from many different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds in Houston, Texas.
All surgeries will be recorded and edited for educational purposes for both the participating physicians to reference in the future and for other physicians worldwide to view and learn from. I plan to work with the leadership at my residency program to create a formal opportunity for a Baylor otolaryngology resident each year to participate in this trip.
Children with acquired and congenital complex aerodigestive pathologies in Southern India received comprehensive evaluations and surgical reconstruction to improve their airway and swallowing.
