Programs in Africa and South America showcase how the University of California, San Francisco Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (UCSF OHNS) is making a difference for the better around the world.
Case Conference and Ongoing Collaborations in Tanzania
Members of UCSF OHNS are building upon the collaborations with the Otorhinolaryngology Department at Muhimbili National Hospital/Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. On February 13, 2023, the first of a series of virtual case conferences were held over Zoom, with more than 30 attendees discussing a pediatric airway case. Dr. Baraka Musimu, a resident from Muhimbili, presented a case that was prepared in collaboration with UCSF OHNS resident Michael Lindeborg, MD. UCSF OHNS attendees included Lia Jacobson, MD, JoAnn Czechowicz, MD, Jordan Virbalas, MD, Andrew Goldberg, MD, and Mary Jue Xu, MD.
In April, Jeffrey Sharon, MD, will lead onsite otology training in Tanzania at a newly built temporal bone lab. Another capacity-building collaboration in April was the first virtual case conference between the speech language pathology teams in Tanzania and UCSF.
Cleft Lip and Palate Repair Trip to Ica, Peru
Every year since 2017 (aside from the pandemic), members of UCSF OHNS have participated in an annual surgical mission to Ica, Peru, to treat patients with congenital craniofacial anomalies. The next trip is planned at the end of 2023.
The Peruvian patients seeking care often travel as much as 48 hours from deep within the Amazonia region to reach the Hospital Regional de Ica. Jordan Virbalas, MD, a pediatric otolaryngologist, has participated in each trip accompanied by UCSF otolaryngology residents or fellows in partnership with the Healing the Children charity organization.
In Peru, the U.S.-based team partners with Peruvian physicians, surgeons, anesthesiology residents, surgery fellows and medical students from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Over the course of eight days, the team will assess up to 140 patients and perform 60 to 75 surgeries such as cleft lip repair, cleft palate repair, pharyngoplasty for velopharyngeal insufficiency, cleft rhinoplasty and microtia repair using costal cartilage.
Early Detection and Intervention for Congenital Hearing Loss in Lima, Peru
Universal newborn hearing screening is standard practice in most high-income countries. Implementation of early hearing detection and intervention programs in low or middle-income countries presents unique challenges and opportunities. Hospital San Bartolomé (HSB) is among the largest maternal and pediatric hospitals in Lima, Peru, with over 5,000 births per year.
JoAnn Czechowicz, MD, is partnering with a research team including staff of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima to evaluate the past five years of data from more than 20,000 patients on screening and diagnosis of congenital hearing loss at HSB as well as qualitative interviews on attitudes and knowledge around congenital hearing loss.
Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Bootcamp Week in Rwanda
With only 23 OHNS providers for a population of 13 million people in Rwanda, there is a critical need to train general practitioners to provide care for head and neck diseases in that nation. Mary Jue Xu, MD, is aiding that effort through work with the University of Global Health Equity, a new medical school in Rwanda whose senior-most medical students began their subspecialty training in OHNS in January 2023. The training began with a one-week bootcamp that was followed by three-week rotations in OHNS departments.
Mary Jue Xu, MD, a co-director of the bootcamp week, worked with Rwandan and international faculty to support development and implementation of the curriculum. Additionally, former and current residents Gaelen Stanford-Moore, MD, and Michael Lindeborg, MD, presented a virtual lecture during the week.
UCSF Global Health Research Program and Fellowship
UCSF's Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia (CHESA) has a year-long fellowship program for surgical and anesthesia providers dedicated to improving perioperative health equity throughout the world. Co-directed by Lia Jacobson, MD, from the OHNS department, this multidisciplinary, global surgery fellowship program provides global health curriculum, research and project support, mentorship and a community cohort for fellows participating in health equity work in their respective countries or hospitals.
In OHNS, there is a funded clinical track for U.S. licensed surgeons to participate in clinical/surgical work at UCSF and clinical instruction at a partner hospital in Cambodia during the fellowship year. OHNS residents and physicians from all countries are eligible to apply for the research/project track and can complete the fellowship year remotely.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2023 edition of "HeadsUp!" You can read more articles from the publication here.
