Through the Children's of Alabama Global Surgery Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham pediatric neurosurgeons have established a partnership with Vietnamese surgeons.
The Global Surgery Program at Children's of Alabama is intended to coordinate the development of multidisciplinary programs for surgical diseases through collaboration with pediatric hospitals in the developing world.
Here are five things to know:
1. UAB began a relationship with Vietnamese surgeons in 2013, after Brandon Rocque, MD, visited Ho Chi Minh City with Jerry Oakes, MD, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Children's of Alabama.
2. This summer, UAB's neurosurgery division welcomed two Vietnamese physicians as visiting fellows in the Global Surgery Program.
3. The collaboration dove into enhancing epilepsy care for both Alabaman and Vietnamese patients. UAB neurosurgeons advised the visiting surgeons on how to establish standardized management protocols for complicated surgical diseases.
4. Through the collaboration, UAB neurosurgeons will visit Vietnam, as well.
5. Once they return home, the Vietnamese surgeons may still interact with their Alabama counterparts via Virtual Interactive Presence in Augmented Reality technology. The technology allows UAB neurosurgeons to offer their guidance to Vietnamese surgeons in the operating room.
6. Five pediatric neurosurgeons serve Alabama's population of 4.5 million, while four pediatric neurosurgeons serve Vietnam's northern district population of about 50 million.
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