- The first of the grants awarded by the annual Fellowship 2022 program of the VIU-NED Chair in Global Neuroscience and Social Change has allowed the Kenyan neurosurgeon, Dr. Emmanuel Wafula Wekesa, to carry out a three-month stay in specialized Spanish centers.
- Dr. Wafula Wekesa has stated that the experience has been highly enriching and will have a very positive impact on his professional practice.
The VIU-NED Chair of Global Neuroscience and Social Change of the International University of Valencia and the NED Foundation, has among its main missions to promote the development of Neurosurgery in low-income countries in order to create a positive impact in their societies.
One of the projects that the Chair has worked on to achieve this objective has been the creation of the VIU-NED COSECSA Fellowships, a financial aid program designed to offer specialized training in clinical, surgical and research skills in the field of neurosurgery to resident doctors of the College of Surgeons of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA).
The first installment of the Fellowships finances the training of two COSECSA doctorsthrough its ‘rotating’ stay in two Spanish centers reference: the Ribera University Hospital (HUR) in Alzira and the University of Alicante, where they can attend different sessions and interventions that will boost their professional career. The program lasts three months and is distributed as follows:
- Stay of a month and a half in the Neuroanatomy Laboratory of the HUR and in the Neurosurgery Unit of the same institution, with the aim of learning the basic principles of microsurgery in brain and spinal lesions.
- Stay of a month and a half in the Neuroanatomy Laboratory of the University of Alicante (Spain) with the aim of expanding and consolidating knowledge of neurosurgical anatomy.
The first beneficiary of this aid has been the Dr. Emmanuel Wafula Wekesa, Kenyan neurosurgeon. To learn a little more regarding his experience, we contacted him and asked him to answer some questions regarding his experience at the Alzira and Alicante centers.
Dr. Emmanuel Wafula Wekesa during his stay
What have you liked most regarding your stay in Spain so far?
The experience in the laboratory. Being able to work in the laboratory both at the Alzira and Alicante facilities has been an incredible experience. It is an experience that gives you a real perspective on cranial surgical anatomy and on various approaches to it. This is exactly what a neurosurgery resident needs in his later years of training, without a doubt, it is the type of exposure that I needed. I also want to highlight the wonderful and close colleagues, who have allowed me to create a valuable network of colleagues in my profession.
What instruments have you used with which you had no experience until now?
During my stay in Spain I had the rare opportunity to see a robotic arm being used in a surgical procedure. Although I was aware of neuronavigation as an adjunct to neurosurgical procedures, this was the first opportunity I had to try this technique in person.
Dr. Wafula Wekesa with the HUR team
What has impacted you the most regarding the practice of neurosurgery in Spain?
The chance to watch other neurosurgeons think and plan an operation, and the chance to see the methods and skills they use during surgery. This experience has given me neurosurgical tools that diversify the options for my own management of individual neurosurgical cases in my country.
How would you assess the impact that the Fellowship has had on your training?
It is an excellent opportunity. The help I have received is extremely useful and necessary for any neurosurgeon.
Dr. Wafula Wekesa together with the team from the Neuroanatomy Laboratory of the University of Alicante
Can you briefly tell us regarding your regular job in Kenya and how this Fellowship has improved your training?
My work involves caring for patients with a variety of head injuries and spinal cord injuries. Of these, some of the most frequent are related to trauma, tumors, spine, and I also work in pediatric neurosurgery with neuropathologies such as hydrocephalus and/or spina bifida.
The laboratory experience in Spain, as I mentioned, has shown me other perspectives on anatomy and cranial surgical approaches that I was unaware of until now. The clinical experience at the General Hospital of Alicante and the Hospital De la Ribera has enriched and broadened my perspective on surgical approaches to various pathologies. In addition, I have been able to increase my knowledge of individual clinical case management in the operating room.
I would like to conclude by saying that I am very grateful for this valuable opportunity that the VIU-NED Chair in Global Neuroscience and Social Change has given me. I am especially grateful to Dr. Piquer, through whom I was able to access this opportunity, who I believe has significantly improved the quality of my surgical skills and competencies; and the entire NED foundation. These aids improve the trajectory of any neurosurgeon who benefits from them.