We will host a hand and upper extremity trauma course taught by international surgeons to train orthopedic, plastic, and general surgeons in care of upper extremity trauma.
South African orthopedic, plastic, and general surgeons managing trauma of the upper extremity
We will be providing education and hands on training to build the local capacity for how to best manage complex upper extremity trauma to improve patient outcomes.
My hand surgery capacity building trip to Capetown was an incredible success. Capetown and South Africa experience a significantly high incidence of upper extremity trauma, without the capacity to manage all of these. On the trip I met with stakeholders that are engaged in 2 of the hand surgery fellowship programs in Capetown. While this is more advanced than other LMICs in Africa, it does not meet the needs of the shear volume of trauma seen in this country. I met with academic and industry leaders to begin planning an upper extremity trauma course to be held in Capetown in 2026. This course would be directed towards local orthopaedic surgeons that would benefit from additional training in hand/upper extremity surgery from international faculty. We discussed meeting logistics, goals, and funding. We spent time meeting with multiple industry leaders that have alignment with training local surgeons in trauma care for potential funding. I’m also meeting with US-based companies now that do business in South Africa for potential funding support. I’m grateful for the support for this capacity building trip as it allowed me to build relationships with local leaders, and created the foundation for a training conference that will impact orthopaedic surgeons in South Africa, and subsequently, patients with challenging upper extremity traumatic injuries.
