I will be joining a group of surgeons and medical volunteers for Resurge International NGO who will be returning to the Kirtipur Burn Hospital in the Kathmandu Valley in February 2026. I will be traveling with and operating with with Dr. David Kulber, director of the hand and upper extremity reconstructive surgery program at Cedars Sinai Medical Center who is known for his extensive international work with burn patients and surgical teaching abroad. We frequently see and treat both local and international patients at our institution for burn injuries. Our goal is to teach and support the local surgical teams in Kathmandu on burn care, identify challenges and solutions, and continue to build on the foundations of surgical education previously initiated at this location. I also hope to help organize and participate in a local burn symposium where we can discuss options for burn/scar treatment in depth with the local surgical team - the recorded symposium will serve to enhance the local care team's knowledge of burn injuries and treatment options, and our partners will plan to submit the recordings to SurgHub, a UN-sponsored surgical training website.
1. Patients with acute burn injuries and chronic scarring/contractures and functional limitations that may benefit from reconstructive surgery
2. Local surgical teams, nursing staff, critical care teams that frequently see patients with burn injuries
Why this population: Burn injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nepal, and effective intervention programs are lacking compared to developed nations.
Our planned trip will be in February of 2026; the incidence of burn injuries in Nepal rises over the winter, and with the recent political climate, the number of burn victims have risen and are expected to continue to increase. We will be helping co-treat patients and will share resources/knowledge with the local surgical and perioperative teams, hoping to enhance the comprehensive care received by burn patients. We will also be recording our teaching sessions/symposia to be available for the local teams to review after our departure which may also be utilized as an educational tool for local recruits/volunteers.
The recorded material that will be submitted to SurgHub will be freely available for other LMIC providers to access.
