Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Kurt McCammon

Today, we are featuring Dr. Kurt McCammon, who has volunteered with IVUmed for nearly 15 years and currently serves as our Board Chair. Dr. McCammon is a reconstructive urologist at Urology of Virginia. He was appointed Chairman of the Department of Urology of Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2011 and also serves as the Urology Residency Program Director and Director of the Genitourinary Reconstructive Fellowship Program.

Dr. McCammon’s first workshop with IVUmed focused on fistulas in Jos, Nigeria. His experience during this trip inspired his extensive involvement with IVUmed because he was immediately able to see part of his impact. “I went on a trip and realized how lucky I was to be in the United States, to have the opportunities I have,” He said and added that the women he operated on, “really didn’t have the opportunities and the surgeons didn’t have these opportunities. By us going and giving back, we were actually able to give them their life back and also give the surgeons an opportunity to help more patients.”

The importance of volunteering like Dr. McCammon does helps address a significant global challenge. “In the United States, there’s more than 300 million people and 11,000 urologists,” Dr. McCammon said. “In Africa, there’s one billion people and less than 1,000 urologists. We have about 100 people specializing in what I do [in the United States], but none in Africa. Our goal is to go in and train them how to do reconstructive urology.”

Dr. McCammon is dedicated to IVUmed’s mission and recognizes its unique potential. “What makes IVUmed unique is we’re one of the surgical mission groups who go over and teach,” he said. “We don’t just go and do. We go and train the surgeons how to do so that our relationships will be sustainable.”

Dr. McCammon focuses on the long-term impact of his international work. “A lot of organizations will go and they’ll do cases, but there won’t be follow up,” he said. “There won’t be training. We’re now instituting webinars where we’re going to go back and forth with our sites. So, we’re actually leaving a group that will be the trainers for the next generation.”

During his tenure as an IVUmed volunteer, Dr. McCammon has led workshops in an array of countries. These include Kenya, Senegal, Cameroon, Trinidad, Mexico, Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe, and Jamaica. By the end of 2019, he will have conducted more than 20 workshops through IVUmed.

We are incredibly grateful for Dr. McCammon’s dedication to IVUmed. Whether he is strategizing the organization’s future, conducting workshops, or teaching our partners through webinars, Dr. McCammon gives fully himself and his expertise. IVUmed would not be where it is today without Dr. McCammon’s involvement and leadership.