Thanks to the generous support of the New York Section of the American Urological Association, Matthew Smith, Jr., MD had an outstanding experience in Dakar, Senegal where he worked with Kurt McCammon, MD from January 13-18.
Dr. Smith shares his experience:
“I recently returned from my trip to Dakar, Senegal. I arrived in Senegal on Sunday and immediately felt at home. The entire trip was amazing. There was time for sightseeing, visiting museums, and learning to surf off the coast of Africa. Although I do not speak any French whatsoever, I was able to negotiate cab fares and barter for souvenirs.
“When we arrived at the hospital it was clear that Dr. McCammon was thoroughly loved by everyone in the urology department. Over the next few days, Dr McCammon took me, the other American resident, and the few Senegalese residents through complex urethroplasties. We preformed retrograde urethrograms and evaluated the results of pelvic traumas from years before. Patients’ charts told stories of multiple attempts at reconstruction, anastomosis to false passages, and failed buccal mucosal grafts. Most importantly the attending urologist told stories of techniques he learned and surgical success as the result of past trips.
“This trip definitely changed the course of my career forever. There will be a substantial component of international medicine and I would love to be an attending taking residents through surgeries and teaching surgeons overseas. I can’t wait to visit more countries and would be honored to do so through IVUmed.”
