Many U.S. spine and orthopedic surgeons use their skillsets to provide free healthcare for patients in underserved countries.
Here are 9 spine and orthopedic surgeons performing surgeries on international medical missions.
Kirk Reichard, MD, and Jonathan Keeve, MD, from Spokane, Wash.-based Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists traveled to Cuba to perform about 65 joint replacements for arthritis patients in November. The orthopedic surgeons performed hip and knee replacements at a hospital in Havana, Cuba.
Four orthopedic surgeons — Daniel Farber, MD, Eric Gokcen, MD, Aaron Guyer, MD, and Ariel Palanca, MD — from the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society recently performed surgery on patients with lower extremity deformities in Kenya. The mission was an extension of the AOFAS Outreach Project to Vietnam, which provided aid to underserved parts of the country for almost 20 years.
Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., Gerald Grant, MD, and spine surgeon Anand Veeravagu, MD, recently returned from a medical mission at a Ugandan hospital. They performed neurosurgical procedures and mentored residents of Uganda's neurosurgery program.
Neurosurgeon Khalid Kurtom, MD, is taking a team of Easton, Md.-based surgeons on a medical mission trip to Honduras in January. The team will perform minimally invasive neurological procedures during the trip, which cost about $40,000.
More articles on orthopedics:
Johnson & Johnson subsidiary launches product for surgical bleeding: 5 things to know
Stanford to acquire 2nd CyberKnife M6 system for neurosurgery
Andrews to expand with new clinical location — 5 insights