Nevada State College Students Making a Difference around the Globe Just what is surgical care like in a third–world country? During the past two summers, a group of Nevada State students got to experience international medicine firsthand as they traveled with two of their professors to Ethiopia on a medical mission. Ethiopian native Dr. Kebret Kebede, associate professor of biology at NSC and a practicing orthopedic surgeon, led the medical missions with Dr. Robin Herlands, assistant professor of biology at Nevada State College, and students from NSC’s Anatomy & Physiology Honors Society and Pre-Health Professionals Club. The 2012 mission involved collaboration with Touro Medical School as one of their physician assistant (PA) students was able to join in and use the experience as an elective rotation in her training. The missions are based in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, at the Black Lion Hospital, an American-founded charitable teaching hospital, the largest in that country. The hospital is open to the public, regardless of ability to pay. During their initial trip, the NSC team, together with local orthopedic surgeons, completed for the first time in the hospital total hip replacement and total knee replacement surgeries. In the closely supervised environment, the NSC students shadowed physicians, observed and assisted with surgeries, and interacted with patients. In addition to the surgeries, the Nevada State College group brought medical supplies and equipment for the hospital that had been donated locally and by Biomet, a medical products manufacturer. The faculty members also gave several lectures to local medical students, including Herlands, who taught immunology at the medical school associated with the hospital. Kebede has traveled on a number of medical missions to high-need countries, including Ethiopia, for the past five years. The Black Lion Hospital and its affiliated university personally invited him to return after his first visit with student volunteers to assist with patient assessment and treatment as well as the teaching of aspiring doctors and surgeons. “These opportunities are truly life- changing for those able to take advantage of them,” said Kebede, who is also a member of the International Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT). Ethiopia has a critical shortage of healthcare providers including general physicians, nurses, and particularly surgeons. Despite Ethiopia’s incredible population of 80 million, there are only about 200 surgeons operating in Ethiopia’s hospitals. The World Health Organization recommends a physician to population ratio of at least 1:10,000 in developing countries, yet many regions of Ethiopia have ratios as dire as 1:200,000. The patient demand for medical attention is always overwhelming, and patients sometimes travel great distances and wait days for treatment at centers like Black Lion.
Fall 2012