The Children’s of Alabama Global Surgery Program seeks to expand and enhance the hospital’s pediatric surgical
and medical expertise through collaborative, reciprocal arrangements with medical communities in targeted parts
of the world, including Kenya, Ghana, Vietnam, and Mexico.
Through this global initiative, surgeons travel to partner pediatric hospitals worldwide to perform surgery,
educate, and provide expertise in the creation of standardized management protocols for complex surgical
diseases. Additionally, surgeons and research coordinators from those partner institutions travel to Birmingham
for training fellowships to advance their knowledge and skills, and to participate in research endeavors.
The program builds on the experience of surgeons from the UAB departments/divisions of General Surgery,
Orthopaedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Cardiovascular Surgery, many of whom have been
making these overseas trips for years. Their work established the foundation of the program, but the need
to coordinate the outreach within a structured initiative became increasingly apparent, both logistically and
financially.
Children’s of Alabama Global Surgery Program
NEUROLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
• John Grant, MD, and James Johnston, MD, visited the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana,
where they worked with previous Global Surgery Fellows Solomon Yeboah, MD, and Frank Boakye, MD, to
establish the first craniofacial program in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
• Dr. Johnston and pediatric neurosurgeon Jerry Oakes, MD, travel regularly to Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City to
work with previous Global Surgery Fellow Can Dang Do Thanh, MD, to perform and teach complex brain tumor,
craniofacial, and neuroendoscopic surgery.
• Brandon Rocque, MD, works with current Global Surgery fellow Lien Nguyen Duc, MD, was accompanied by
Dr. Markert last year to establish a pediatric surgical epilepsy program at the National Viet Duc Hospital in
Hanoi, Vietnam.
During these 1-2-week trips, Children’s surgeons see patients in clinic alongside local physicians to determine
which cases need immediate attention, which can wait, and which will present a valuable educational experience
for the local surgeon. The reciprocal agreements with these foreign hospitals provide training opportunities to
their physicians. Surgeons and residents are brought to Birmingham to observe procedures, discuss cases, and
attend meetings and continuing education conferences. The usual stay is three months, during which time they
are housed in apartments near the Children’s of Alabama campus, at the hospital’s expense.
A VIRTUAL PRESENCE VIA VIPAR
A crucial component of the Children’s of Alabama Global Surgery Program is Dr. Johnston’s use of technology that
allows him to create a real-time presence in operating rooms on the other side of the world. Virtual Interactive
Presence and Augmented Reality (VIPAR) now deemed Help Lightning is an Internet-based telemedicine system
that employs iPads and standard Internet service to stream video between Birmingham and remote sites. It was
originally developed by UAB neurosurgeon Bart Guthrie, MD, and has since been commercialized for use in
multiple applications by the Department of Defense, Walmart, Medtronic, and other large corporations.
uabmedicine.org
29