The residents at St. Luke's Roosevelt have shown a strong commitment to international medicine, as evidenced by their continued involvement in rotations abroad. Their participation is facilitated by the availability an elective blocks for this purpose.
Some of these residents have arranged their rotations independently, while others have used the invaluable help of our own, Dr. John Cahill, an emergency medicine attending with a passion for international medicine and connections in this field around the world.
Below are listed just some of our residents' recent endeavors in this arena.
Location
MBARARA, UGANDA
Site
Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Description
Internal medicine rotation, significant infectious/tropical disease exposure
Contact
Montefiore, Internal Medicine Department
EM resident
Josh Quaas, MD
Location
TEHRAN, IRAN
Site
Emergency Department, Iran University
Description
Emergency Medicine in Iran is in its infancy, having been established only 4 years ago. There are 3 residency programs in the country at this time. The first one was developed in Iran University in the capital city in the year 2001, and graduated the first group of emergency physicians in the country in 2004. I had the unique opportunity to rotate there for my 2nd year elective, and found it to be a highly educational and personally fulfilling experience. Having witnessed the difficulties and challenges our field encounters during its initial stages of development in a foreign country, I have come to appreciate the determination and dedication that is required to establish Emergency Medicine internationally.
EM resident and contact
Veda Maany, MD
Location
MWANZA, TANZANIA
Site
Emergency Department
Description
Observation and instruction in ED with large patient population, significant disease pathology exposure
Local attractions
Serengeti Game Reserve, Mount Kilimanjaro
Contact
John Cahill, MD, St. Luke's Roosevelt
EM residents
Jon McCauley, MD and Chilembwe Mason, MD
Location
INDONESIA
Site
Coastline
Description
Participation in the Tsunami relief effort
Contact
Electric Lamb Mission
EM resident
Aliza Weinman, MD
Location
VIETNAM
Site
Different locals, all rural in the northern province
Description
There are 3 main aspects to Project Vietnam's mission: 1. Education/training, teaching CPR, EMS skills, and triage to med students, nurses, and doctors 2. Primary care, visiting a different commune each day, setting up makeshift clinics in classrooms where they screen hundreds of patients. A dentist, optometrist, and pharmacist are available, as well as free medicine. 3. Surgical, performing hundreds of cleft lip/palate repairs, strabismus corrections, and many other pediatric surgeries. Volunteer surgeons from various specialties both perform the surgeries and teach local doctors how to do them independently.
Contact
Project Vietnam, affiliated with the American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.projectvietnam.net
EM resident
Aliza Weinman, MD
Location
NEPAL
Site
Mount Everest, Base Camp
Description
Residents participating in gathering clinical information for a research study regarding altitude sickness.
Contact
Grant Lipman
EM residents
Keeli Hanzelka, MD and Alberto Hazan, MD
Location
BANGKOK, THAILAND
Site
Mahidol University of Tropical Medicine
Description
Two weeks are spent at an urban referral hospital specializing in tropical disease treatment and research, followed by 2 weeks at a provincial hospital in rural Thailand. At Mahidol, there are daily morning rounds and afternoon didactics. This portion of the course includes about 15 residents and students from many countries. At the provincial hospitals, responsibilities vary greatly by location. There is ample time to explore the city and country, including outings organized by the program office.
Local attractions
Beach and nightlife
Contact
John Cahill, MD, St. Luke's Roosevelt
Resident
Chilembwe Mason, MD
Ethan Bodle, MD
Location
ORTUM, KENYA
Site
Ortum Mission Hospital
Description
Pediatric, infectious disease, Ob/Gyn elective. This was a tough place to work but very worthwhile and extremely beautiful. I woke up to a mountain view and crossed a bridge to get to the hospital. My responsibilities included providing direct patient care, mostly in pediatrics, but I was able to perform deliveries, assist is C-sections and general surgical procedures.
Contact
John Cahill, MD, St. Luke's Roosevelt
Resident
Deepti Thomas, MD
Location
Reykjavik, Iceland
Site
Landspitali Hospital
Description
This hospital is home to the only EM residency program in country. EM is in its infancy in Iceland, with the residency having been established only 4 years. The emphasis of this rotation is prehospital care. Experiences include working in the ED, ambulance, flying with the coast guard rescue helicopter, and working with Icelandic Search and Rescue Scouts.
Contact
John Cahill, MD, St. Luke's Roosevelt
Resident
Brian Kwong, MD
Location
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Program
PACEMD/MedSpanish Immersion Program
Description
This is a language and cultural immersion program in which participants are given individual Spanish lessons and participate in medical treatment of the local population. The medical aspect of the program consists of pre-hospital care and ED participation at both the community hospital in San Miguel and the neighboring city of Dolores-Hilgado. You can choose to participate in one or more activities, and the staff is very accommodating.
Contact
www.medspanish.com
Resident
Anthony Carrozza, MD
Location
Kolkata, India
Site
Various Sites serviced by the Missionaries of Charity including Kali Ghat, Prim Dan, Daya Dan, Shishi Bhauan
Description
This rotation focused on humanitarian efforts based in Kolkata. Missionaries of Charity maintain multiple houses throughout the city that focus on serving the destitute in various capacities. For example, Kali Ghat is the home for the dying. The most destitute of Kolkata who are suffering from the terminal stages of diseases such as HIV and Tuberculosis are brought here to have place to die with dignity. Volunteers and the Sisters spend their times hands on with these people, bathing them, feeding them, providing wound care, and most importantly just being with them when they die. Emergency medicine is in its infancy in India with only a few true emergency rooms throughout the country. There are many opportunities in Kolkata to work with the physicians who practice in the various private hospitals that dominate much of the health care system in place. Time can be spent working in the first ER in the region a six bed ER with access to cardiac catheterization, IR, and Neurosurgery. There are also many opportunities to assist in the OR with general or orthopedic surgeons.
Contact
John Cahill
EM residents
Jaime Bryan, MD
Location
IRELAND
Site
Royal College of Surgeons
Description
Residents attend the Diploma in Tropical Medicine Course for 6 weeks. This course has become popular among infectious disease fellows. It a privilege for emergency medicine residents to have this opportunity.
Contact
John Cahill, MD, St. Luke's Roosevelt
EM resident
Aliza Weinman, MD
