Drs. Jeremy Myers and Philip Cheng completed a successful surgical workshop in Kigali, Rwanda, returning in early June. The trip was in conjunction with the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) and the International Volunteers in Urology (IVUMed). The trip lasted for 10 days and the team was joined by another reconstructive surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic (Dr. Hadley Wood) and a reconstructive fellow from University of Texas Southwestern (Dr. Yooni Yi). With two separate surgical teams the impact of training was doubled for the Rwandan physicians. The emphasis of the trip was on teaching complex reconstructive urology concentrated upon urethroplasty after pelvic fracture.
University of Utah is funding a scholarship for both Dr. Austen Slade (PGY4) and Dr. Matt Armstrong (PGY 4) to travel with IVUMed in 2020. Dr. Slade will be joining a trip to Vietnam and Dr. Armstrong is still scheduling a trip with IVUMed. IVUMed trips are invaluable for the education of our residents at University of Utah and allow them to experience surgery in low resource settings and to give back by educating and helping local surgeons advance their skills.
"The Rwanda surgeons' dedication to their people and patients embodies our mission and values as physicians - really in its purest form. We plan on continuing these trips to Rwanda and supporting the development of a robust reconstructive urology center." - Trip co-leader, Dr. Jeremy Myers