Dr. Hannick in Senegal
Dr. Jessica Hannick’s recent Traveling Resident Scholar experience in Dakar, Senegal was made possible by the generous support of the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU). Dr. Serigne Gueye graciously organized the Senegal workshop and acted as a mentor to Dr. Hannick.
Dr. Hannick reported, “This past August, I had the honor of traveling to Dakar, Senegal to operate with local Senegalese Urologists as an IVUmed Traveling Resident Scholar. Never having traveled to Africa before, this was an amazing opportunity not only to experience a new continent, but also to immerse myself in the medical community of another culture. My assignment was at the Hôpital Général de Grand Yoff (HOGGY) located in Dakar. HOGGY is also IVUmed’s first center of excellence, having begun working with IVUmed in 2009 first in pediatric urology and now in reconstructive urology. As part of this designation, HOGGY has advanced to the stage of providing service independent of IVUmed workshops, training residents within its institution, and offering training to providers from neighboring countries.
I spent the first day observing Dr. Niang in outpatient urology clinic and was amazed by the broad spectrum of patients we encountered, as well as the level of resources available to him and his patients. We saw an adolescent girl with enuresis who had recently experienced a lapse in her dry periods due to altered nighttime hydration during the recent month of Ramadan. The subsequent four days, we spent in the operating room operating, assisting, and interacting with the local African surgery residents, who had ventured to Dakar from Madagascar, Algeria, and Chad to work with Dr. Gueye and his colleagues.
Dr. Hannick, Dr. Chrouser and team
During the rest of the week, as I participated in a nephrectomy and numerous obstetric fistula repairs, I witnessed the fantastic camaraderie amongst the attending urologists, surgical residents, nurses, and medical support staff. I was honored to be a member of the team for the week. I also had the unique opportunity to aid Dr. Gueye and his American and Senegalese team of fistula surgeons and interested colleagues in filming for an obstetric fistula trainer. Truly embodying IVUmed’s “Teach One, Reach Many” motto, the fistula trainer will enable surgeons from remote areas to gain the simulation training necessary in resource-poor areas to be able to provide thousands of African women plagued by obstetric fistulas with hope for a second chance in life. Leaving Dakar was not bittersweet, as I knew we were not parting ways for good, but rather toasting to the beginning of new, lifelong friendships.”
If you would like to support IVUmed’s continued work in Senegal, please make a contribution here: www.IVUmed.org/give.