International Rotation
Paul Kolkman, MD, traveled to Hyderabad, India, for a surgical rotation in 2009.
The Department of Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has an international surgical rotation for general surgery residents. The Office of Global Engagement has international collaborations with more than 100 global institutions. These agreements provide the avenues for undertaking collaborative work in clinical care, research and education for medical students, residents and faculty.
The international surgical rotation will consist of undertaking clinical rotations in the developing world. These rotations will also provide an option to conduct research into global disparities in health care and how to tackle the "inadequately addressed" burden of surgical disease in the developing world.
July 2009 marked the inaugural international rotation for the Program with fourth year resident, Paul Kolkman, MD, traveling to Hyderabad, India. Since then, three other residents — Filipe Sobra, MD, Jeff Douaiher, MD, and Rishi Batra, MD — have traveled to Hyderabad for rotations.
Rishi Batra, MD, in Hyderabad, India, in 2020.
The benefits of the rotations include:
- Exposure to different health care systems across the world.
- Exposure to different disease patterns and presentations.
- Ability to provide surgical care in the resource-poor environment.
- Learn different approaches to the same medical/surgical problem.
- Ability to conduct research into global disparities in health care.
- Address issues in tackling the rising burden of surgical disease.
This international exposure is important in the current era when everything from manufacturing to health care is being outsourced and the country is witnessing a rising trend in medical tourism. Similarly, the current health care reform is drawing input from health care systems of the world with which surgery residents in the U.S. are not entirely familiar. This valuable addition to the general surgery residency program at the UNMC will increase the international exposure and prepare the graduating residents to enter the new world that is no longer insular.