CNN recently chronicled spine surgeon Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, MD, as he returned to Ghana, his birth country, to focus on developing spine services there.
Dr. Boachie-Adjei earned acclaim as a spine surgeon in the United States at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. He was chief emeritus of the scoliosis service at HSS and held several academic roles at institutions in New York and California throughout his career.
He established the Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine for underserved populations in West Africa and other third-world nations. In 2004, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons awarded him the Humanitarian Award for his work in Africa and around the world. He was also president of the Scoliosis Research Society.
Dr. Boachie-Adjei discussed the differences between treating patients in New York and Ghana, with the very severe cases he has seen in Africa. He also talked about illness as a child and his experience with physicians, wanting to become like the physicians who helped him heal.