April 20, 2006
It’s off to Cameroon for urology resident
On April 18, Dr. Stephen King, fourth-year urology resident, flew to the northern province of Cameroon in Africa to deliver donated medical supplies and to study the practice of surgery in a Third World setting.
King traveled with thousands of dollars worth of donated sutures, urethral catheters, bladder scanners, and cystoscopy equipment to help the urology service at Shishong Hospital in rural Cameroon. King will spend six weeks there participating in the UW Global Urology Initiative and teaching a surgical technique widely used in Western countries to open the urethra but not currently used by many surgeons in Africa. Many people in Africa suffer from urethral strictures that result in scarring and blocking of the urethra due to sexually transmitted diseases.
The Global Urology Initiative program was founded in 1991 and is directed by Dr. George Brannen, professor of urology. His program helps young doctors learn the basics of global medicine and stresses that participants immerse themselves in the local culture and become culturally educated.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” King said. “We’ve become so dependent on technology in our country; this will be an opportunity to see disease processes rarely seen in our country and to learn a lot about the management of medicine in a place where there are limited resources. I know this will help me to be a better surgeon. I don’t know of many other surgical residencies that would allow and encourage residents to take this experience.”
King will return to the UW in June.
