Feature Story: Offsite Training Programs and Volunteering

Several specialties in the Department offer intensive training for residents in conjunction with the provision of volunteer care.

In Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, each resident serves a 3-month rotation at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Farhad Sigari, M.D., who is now in his research year here, spent 3 months in Alaska last summer.He said, "I treated at least 50 cases of middle ear disease in those three months -- that is more than I would expect to see in the entire rest of my residency." (more information on the Alaska Native Medical Center is available at www.anmc.org).

Several faculty in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery lead trips to sites in the Caribbean. These trips provide opportunties to hone diagnostic and triage skills, as well as see a broader range of cases than is possible in the residency program onsite. At the same time, the plastic surgery trips provide critical charity care to populations that have little access to modern medical care. Farhad Sigari, M.D., a resident who went with Dr. David Song to the Dominican Republic recently reported, "This provides terrific experience in learning diagnosis. We saw cases we never see in Chicago -- terrible burns, facial scarring (e.g., from rubbing one's face against the poisonous goa tree) as well as cleft palate and polydactyl cases." He continued, "I hope to be able to return on a regular basis to continue to give back some of what I have learned....It also clarified for me that I want to pursue a career in plastic and reconstructive surgery."

The Hand Fellow accompanies Daniel Mass, M.D., Professor of Surgery, to Lima Peru, where they gain experience with cases that are not commonly seen in Chicago and they learn about volunteerism. Dr. Mass comments, "I see this as a way to foster volunteering as a way of giving -- of time, energy, knowledge and skills."