Blog

IVU board member and volunteer Dr. Heidi Stephany was featured in the July 2020 edition of The Journal of Urology, the official journal of the American Urological Association. Dr. Stephany’s article, entitled “Trends in Medicine: Virtual Visits, Now and in the...

IVU board members Drs. Scott Eggener and Christina Ching wrote an article entitled "Urologists' Perspectives on Global Volunteerism" for AUA News. The pair began their work with IVU as Resident Scholars. Since then, they've led many workshops around the globe and...

The core mission of IVU is grounded in respect for all people regardless of race, nationality, or beliefs. Humanitarian missions designed to teach one, reach many reflect efforts to help develop local capabilities to treat under-served populations and people in need....

IVU volunteers never cease to amaze us! Gwen & Tim Hutchings, who volunteered at an IVU female urology workshop in Senegal a couple years ago, have created and donated more than 1,100 face masks since the beginning of the pandemic! Their service has drawn national...

Our work is international by nature. Our dedicated volunteers travel all over the world to provide expert surgical training. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, IVU has postponed all upcoming workshops. We are monitoring the situation and stay in regular contact with our...

Thanks to the outstanding support of the Society of Urologic Oncology, Dr. Hong Truong served as an IVU Resident Scholar in Kigali, Rwanda under the mentorship of Dr. Kelvin Moses. Dr. Truong shares her experience: “Over the week of Thanksgiving, I had the privilege...

The generous support of the Southeast Section of the American Urological Association made it possible for Dr. Elizabeth Traore to serve as an IVU Resident Scholar in Dakar, Senegal under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Kalota. Dr. Traore shares her experience: "I had been...

“My two weeks in Uganda flew by, and by the time I got to the airport, my mind was already spinning trying to plan a future trip! I was re-inspired in the field of urology and medicine, which is sometimes forgotten in the trenches of residency. I made lifelong friends and memories with this trip, and cannot thank IVU enough for sponsoring me as a resident scholar, and my program at Thomas Jefferson University for not only allowing but encouraging such an experience.”

The Western Section of the American Urological Association made it possible for Dr. Jullet Han to serve as an IVUmed Resident Scholar in Kigali, Rwanda under the mentorship of Dr. Frank Burks. Dr. Han shares her experience: “I fit as much as I could into my tiny...

I believe we solidified a very strong working relationship going forward. I am in close contact with many of the Zimbabwean residents currently and trust these friendships will remain long into the future.

Dr. Joseph Costa has volunteered with IVUmed for almost ten years and has focused his service on teaching urologists in Haiti. Dr. Costa says that over the course of six years he watched surgeons in Haiti progress to skill levels equal to fellowship trained surgeons...

Our 4th Annual Norfolk Benefit is just around the corner! Have you RSVPed? We would love to see you on September 21st! What to Expect A charitable and fun evening complimented by dinner & drinks, a live auction, and a silent auction. Attire Business. How to Join...

Thanks to the support of the Southeastern Section of the American Urological Association, Dr. Ramphis Morales-López enjoyed an eye-opening experience serving as a Resident Scholar under the guidance of Drs. Maxx Gallegos & Jonathan "Nick" Warner in Kingston,...

A community newspaper, The Sandy Journal, recently published a focus piece on IVUmed. We are incredibly grateful for this coverage and appreciate the opportunity to share our work and the generous contributions of our volunteers and donors. You can read Heather...

IVUmed is proud to feature Susan Kalota, MD on our blog today. Dr. Kalota was the first woman to become a Board certified urologist in Arizona. Beyond being one of IVUmed’s most dedicated volunteers, Dr. Kalota currently serves as the organization’s Board Treasurer....

Thanks to the generous support of the South Central Section of the American Urological Association, Dr. Natalia Hernandez had a phenomenal experience in Cote d’Ivoire, where she volunteered at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Cocody in Abidjan and attended the...

Today, we are featuring our Board Vice Chair and dedicated IVUmed volunteer, Francis Schneck, MD. Dr. Schneck, who is a pediatric urologist, will lead his 20th IVUmed workshop this August when he travels to Uganda. Dr. Schneck has trained surgeons in several countries...

Thanks to the generous support of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urological Association, Dr. Fornati Bedell had an incredible experience in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia at State Central Hospital #1. Dr. Bedell shares her experience: “Unforgettable. Rewarding....

Thanks to the outstanding support of the Western Section of the American Urological Association, Dr. Garen Abedi had an eye-opening experience at Hospital Central de Maputo in Mozambique. Dr. Abedi shares his experience: “Thanks to the generous support of the Western...

An IVUmed team visited Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for a reconstructive urology workshop at State Central Hospital #1. Dr. Michael Metro led the workshop and was joined by Drs. Ronak Gor, Min Jun, Fornati Bedell, & Tristan Juvet. The IVUmed team collaborated with local...

Dr. Meier beamed that the workshop was “a truly awesome experience” with “lots of interesting cases.”

IVUmed collaborates with partners in more than 20 countries. Vietnam stands out as one of the very first countries IVUmed established relationships in. The first IVUmed workshop in Vietnam was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 1994. Since then, IVUmed volunteers have...

In December of 2018 I travelled with Dr. Gopal Badlani and Dr. Dima Raskolnikov to Bhopal, India to participate in the 93rd “Mega Free Urology Camp” sponsored by Jeev Sewa Sansthan (JSS). My time in Bhopal was both challenging and inspiring, and I returned to the US with a renewed sense of purpose and passion for the work we do.

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...

Drs. Eugene Cone (left), Gopal Badlani (center), & Dima Raskolnikov (right) Thanks to the generous support of the Western Section of the American Urological Association, Dr. Dima Raskolnikov had an outstanding experience in Bhopal, India, where he worked with Jeev...

With the support of Caldera Medical, a three-person IVUmed team, led by Dr. Susan Kalota, traveled to Dakar, Senegal to lead a urogynecology workshop from November 16-25, 2018. Dr. Kalota (urologist) was joined by Dr. Lindsey Kerr (urologist) and Dr. James Daucher...

An IVUmed team traveled to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for a pediatric urology workshop at the National Center for Maternal and Child Health from October 20-28, 2018. Dr. Carlos Angel (pediatric surgeon) led the team and was joined by Dr. Angela Arlen (pediatric urologist),...

An IVUmed team traveled to Maputo, Mozambique for a pediatric urology workshop at Hospital Central de Maputo. Drs. Heidi Stephany and Christina Ching led the team and were joined by Tina Zeigler, RN (pediatric nurse), Dr. Christine Ayoub (anesthesiologist), and Dr....

Dr. Amy Lim shares her experience from Mongolia, which was sponsored by the Society of Urologic Oncology: “I have always been interested in participating in a global health trip. However, unless your home institution has an established global health program, it is...

Thanks to the outstanding support of the Southeastern Section of the AUA, Dr. Alan Chip Carnes had an excellent experience in Cap Haitien, Haiti where he and his mentor urologists, Dr. Joseph Costa and Dr. Joseph Babiarz, worked with local urologists on reconstructive...

“Ever since I encountered their booth at AUA as a medical student, I had been hoping to take part in one of IVUmed’s trips. Now, as a 4th year urology resident, the wait was over and I was about to land in Dakar, Senegal – a city and country on a continent to which I...

“Traveling to Hue, Vietnam with IVUmed was an amazing opportunity, and I am grateful for being invited to participate on this trip to experience a different culture and practice of urology in a different part of the world. “On the first day, I arrived very exhausted...

Dr. Frank Burks and his reconstructive urology team just returned from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Later this month, Drs. Joe Costa and Henri Lanctin lead another group to Cap Haitien. Thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers.  

“Global health has been a long-time interest for me, and providing more specialized care to less fortunate people has been a priority. I started working with IVUmed in medical school to develop a data driven intake form to track hypospadias patients. I travelled to...