The Department of Surgery is hosting surgeons from around the world. As an opportunity to further their knowledge and expertise, pediatric surgeons, George Ngock, MD, of Cameroon and Saule Suleimanova, MD, of Kazakhstan, are advancing their skills in Indianapolis to improve care for patients in their home country. Ngock and Suleimanova have spent time shadowing department faculty in the Riley Hospital for Children operating rooms and clinics to learn more about how to improve pediatric surgical care.
“While I’m here, I’m hoping to improve my laparoscopy skills,” said Ngock. “That’s my primary aim of coming here.”
An American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Scholar, Ngock concluded his time in May after working alongside faculty members, Frederick Rescorla, MD, and Brian Gray, MD, among others.
“We recognize that we are part of a larger global community of surgeons and healthcare providers,” said Gray. “By educating and learning from our colleagues across the globe, it not only has the potential to improve care in other countries, but it can improve how we care for Hoosiers at home.”
For Suleimanova, she’s using her six-month sabbatical at Riley Hospital for Children to learn more about how to improve neonatal pediatric surgical care systems and practice in Kazakhstan under the guidance of Gray and his team as well.
“For me, it’s a very great opportunity,” said Suleimanova. “It’s a great honor to represent my home country of Kazakhstan. This is a great opportunity for me to exchange and borrow practices of pediatric surgery between the United States and Kazakhstan.”
Although Ngock and Suleimanova’s time is dedicated to gaining knowledge and furthering their skillset, Department of Surgery faculty members also have the opportunity to learn from both international surgeons.
“Unfortunately, they aren’t able to participate in surgery in the US, but I’ve learned a lot about how they care for patients through discussions about our patients here at IU,” said Gray. “It’s also been fun teaching them about some of our advanced technologies that are not available in all counties, such as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and advanced surgical simulation.”
As one of few institutions in the United States focused on global healthcare and education, improving care and enhancing medical training for patients and surgeons around the world remains a priority for the Department of Surgery and the IU School of Medicine.
“We are in a small group of American institutions that have the bold vision and investment to look globally in care and education partnerships,” said Gray. “We realize that it’s not charity work; rather, we see the benefit in fostering these global partnerships for better patient care and physician education at IU and abroad.”
