Dr. Kristi Hebert
The generous support of the Southeastern Section of the AUA made possible Dr. Kristi Hebert’s IVUmed scholarship experience in Pune, India. During her time there, Dr. Hebert was able to participate and learn techniques from mentor Sanjay Kulkarni, MD, a world-respected reconstructive urologist.
After returning from the workshop, Dr. Hebert reported, “Dr. Kulkarni is so well-respected and performs such specialized procedures, that during several weekends out of the year he hosts a surgical workshop. During these days, several urologists in the country will travel to observe his urethral reconstruction work and to have an opportunity to learn the techniques. My first day at the hospital was during one of these workshops. Dr. Kulkarni is an excellent teacher and host, and took time to explain his steps of each procedure. He was very focused on conveying the thoughts and decision-making process of each step.
“Even with medical conditions inflicting pain and hardship, the patients in general were very kind and appreciative. They were willing to allow any of us to learn from their cases and to observe their surgeries. They appeared to be very stoic and tolerated pain very well. The local scenes did convey a moderate amount of poverty in the region. Despite not having much financially, the peace and happiness they displayed on a daily basis was inspiring.
“This rotation was one that I grew from both professionally and personally, and I appreciate the opportunity provided by IVUmed and my sponsor, the Southeastern Section of the AUA. I would recommend the IVUmed program to any future residents who have an interest.”
IVUmed Surgical Team in Pune, India