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In 2006, Sarah Woodrow learned something startling from a Ethiopian general surgeon visiting her workplace — there were only three neurosurgeons in Ethiopia to serve a population of 75 million at that time. In addition, all were based in the capital of Addis Ababa, creating a significant obstacle to care for those in remote parts of the country. The then-senior neurosurgery resident felt called to help train more of them.
“I really believe that you have to work on capacity building in places like this,” says Woodrow, a neurosurgeon and now the chair of clinical neurosciences at Cleveland Clinic Akron General. “It’s not just good enough to go over there and do a few surgeries.”
With her most recent trip in May, Woodrow has been traveling to Ethiopia almost every year since 2006. She visits for two to three weeks, partnering with the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery and Addis Ababa University’s Department of Neurosurgery to train neurosurgeons at Black Lion Hospital. The neurosurgeons learn through listening to Woodrow’s lectures and observing her complete complex spinal surgeries.
The need is urgent: There are lots of spinal trauma incidents in Ethiopia, such as those caused by cars striking pedestrians and construction workers falling from buildings, commonly due to unstable scaffolding.
“Often, as a result of these traumas, they’ve got fairly complicated broken backs, spinal cord injuries associated. We need to take them to the operating rooms for a series of screws and rods to stabilize their spines,” says Woodrow, adding that she uses donated surgical screws and rods from the U.S. for the operations.
The initiative has been wildly successful. There are now over 120 neurosurgeons throughout Ethiopia whom Woodrow and other international neurosurgeons helped to train. Some of those newer neurosurgeons are now training others, chairing the department at Black Lion and advocating internationally — including for the cause of increased folic acid in diets to cut down on neural tubal defects such as spina bifida.
Both the patients and the neurosurgeons are incredibly grateful for Woodrow’s help. A colleague from Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital joined her in May, and Woodrow hopes to inspire more to get behind the cause that’s been so rewarding to her.
“Everyone says, You’re giving so much. I actually feel like I get so much from these trips because it makes me really appreciate,” she says. “I wish people over here really appreciate how good we have it in terms of everything — but in particular, in terms of health care, because access to health care over there is such a challenge.” // KP