IVUmed Returns to In-Person Programming in 2022
IVUmed conducted nine in-person surgical workshops in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean continuing our commitment to bring high-quality urological surgical training to low- and middle-income countries.
IVUmed has worked to expand capacity and access to urological care around the world. We have:
- Lead in-person workshops in 41 countries
- Trained 3,084 surgeons
- Trained 1,123 nurses
- Provided care to 11,371 patients
- Performed 7,604 surgeries
*Statistics from 2000 until November 1, 2022.
Last year, we continued our Virtual Visiting Professor workshops to provide specialized expertise, case consultation and mentorship to global partners, eliminating the barriers of time and travel. By year-end, 17 virtual workshops will have been held and archived online.
Surgery in Mongolia, April 2022
We have active urological training partnerships with the following countries:
Burundi
Ethiopia
Ghana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mongolia
Mozambique
Rwanda
South Africa
St. Lucia
St. Lucia
Uganda
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Did you know that IVUmed focuses on a teaching modality?
All of our workshops include both lectures and hands on surgical training, creating a well-rounded approach to medical education
Urologic Oncology
Urologic Oncology training workshops, specifically those focused on prostate cancer, are one of our most requested workshop types.
Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer and cancer-related deaths among sub-Saharan African men.
In most of sub-Saharan Africa there are no uniform screening programs or awareness campaigns related to this disease, which often leads to a delayed diagnosis and poor outcomes.
OUR IMPACT:
In 2022, IVUmed conducted five Urologic Oncology training workshops in
- Kampala, Uganda
- Mbale, Uganda
- Kigali, Rwanda
- Castries, St. Lucia
Not only did our surgical volunteers provide lifesaving medical care, but also they provided support to our international healthcare colleagues by way of lectures, teaching, and mentorship. This collaborative training model helps build local healthcare capacity and improves overall access to care.
Urologic Oncology training workshops, specifically those focused on prostate cancer, are one of our most requested workshop types.
Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstruction Surgery (FPMRS)
The lack of specialists trained to treat women with urinary incontinence, fistulas and pelvic dysfunction globally has led IVUmed to begin a new initiative to provide specialized multidisciplinary training and education in all areas of female pelvic health.
Our hope is to build healthcare capacity so that every woman with these issues can access care in their own community.
Urinary incontinence, obstetric fistulas and female pelvic dysfunction is grossly under-reported and undertreated in low- and middle-income countries.
These issues can lead to women being ostracized and isolated from their communities, depressed, as well as experiencing a significant decrease in quality of life. The trickle-down effect from this is profound and affects all aspects of society.
OUR IMPACT:
An IVUmed team was in Dakar, Senegal in October where our team shared new technology and methods to treat female pelvic dysfunction with our Senegalese partners.
Reconstructive Urology
Urethral stricture disease treatment in low resource areas is complex. Complicated presentations, limited subspecialty training and lack of specialty instruments, all contribute to poor outcomes.
Our model of collaborating with local urologic healthcare providers, enhances local practitioner expertise and independence which leads to long-term improvements in patient outcomes.
OUR IMPACT:
IVUmed volunteers traveled to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in May 2022 to continue our long standing partnership with the First Central Hospital of Mongolia, one of Mongolia’s biggest and busiest hospitals.
This year’s workshop marked the 25th in-person IVUmed workshop held in Mongolia since 2002.
Our team collaborated with our Mongolian colleagues on the proper diagnostic workup of urethral stricture disease, and worked with our partners on surgical indications for different stricture types.
Pediatric Urology
IVUmed’s origins are rooted in the goal of increasing access to pediatric urology care by growing the local pediatric urology workforce.
Congenital anomalies of the genitourinary (GU) tract, are 5–10 times more common than cleft lip and palate, however the number of physicians or healthcare providers trained to treat these conditions in low- and middle-income countries is alarmingly small.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are less than a handful of fellowship-trained pediatric urologists for a population of nearly 500 million children.
OUR IMPACT:
IVUmed’s pediatric urology volunteers returned to Lusaka, Zambia, one of our long-standing pediatric urology partners and established a new pediatric urology site in Bujumbura, Burundi.
We celebrate The Dr. Pieter deVries-Tully Family IVUmed Pediatric Urology Scholarship 2022 recipient Dr. Manatsa Chimhamhiwa from Harare, Zimbabwe who will complete his pediatric urology fellowship this month. He will become one of the few fellowship-trained pediatric urologists in Africa and the only one in Zimbabwe.
The one-of-a-kind scholarship provides funding for urologists in sub-Saharan Africa to receive pediatric urology fellowship training at the University of Cape Town, Division of Pediatric Urology under the direction of Dr. John Lazarus.
Support IVUmed
Donate and volunteer today to help us reduce healthcare inequities and bring urological care and expertise to low and middle-income countries around the world.
The Need for High Quality Urological Care
Five billion people lack access to basic surgical care.
Specialized care like urology is even harder to find.
The United Nations cites lack of healthcare as a root cause of extreme poverty.
Debilitating health conditions drain family resources, preventing many throughout the world from earning a living or attending school.
IVUMed Provides High-Quality Urological Training Globally
International Volunteers in Urology (IVUmed) is committed to closing the urologic health equity gap by making quality urological care available to people worldwide. In fulfilling this mission, IVUmed provides urologic healthcare, education, training, and research mentorship in low resource areas around the world.
For over 25 years, IVUmed has been sending highly skilled surgical teams to train doctors and nurses in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America. We work with our host colleagues in capacity building to increase local access to quality urologic care.
Our teams begin by demonstrating and teaching surgical techniques while treating patients in need. Then, as the local physicians gain experience and expertise, they begin serving patients directly and teaching the techniques to their peers. IVUmed volunteers return often, over a number of years, teaching increasingly more advanced procedures as the local physicians’ skills mature. The cycle continues until each host country has a pool of skilled talent with the ability to care for most patients on their own.
Donate Today
Help us expand our mission to make quality urologic care available in every community.
