A groundbreaking ReSurge International and Stanford Plastic Surgery study has found that a single surgeon in a low-income country can treat 10,000 patients in their career - and, if they become a full-time surgeon-trainer, they can transform over 400,000 lives in their lifetime by their succeeding trainees. There is the potential to create a tremendous multiplier effect across generations.
With these opportunities in mind, a Proximie-powered and Amazon Web Services (AWS)-enabled Plastic Surgery Innovation Hub has been designed with ReSurge International and ALERT Hospital, one of Ethiopia's oldest and largest medical institutions in Addis Ababa, under the administration of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia's Ministry of Health.
The innovation hub is demonstrating the transformative power of digital technology through strengthening the plastic and reconstructive surgery workforce by integrating Proximie’s cloud-based digital software into world-class training. The partnership is enabling surgical teams to collaborate in real-time, sharing expertise, peer-to-peer support and mentorship using Proximie’s unique technology to improve and scale surgical training and care.
The initiative is also providing an opportunity for the surgical teams at ALERT Hospital to leverage the technology to support other training objectives and address the myriad operational challenges they may face, including surgical trainees’ limited visual access to cases in the operating room, or inability to access the operating room at all due to geographical distance.
“The partnership is enabling surgical teams to collaborate in real-time, sharing expertise, peer-to-peer support and mentorship using Proximie’s unique technology to improve and scale surgical training and care.”
The innovation hub was made possible by a newly-established partnership between ReSurge International and ALERT Hospital. ReSurge was one of the first organisations to move away from the surgical fly-in model in the 1990s, investing in the training of local surgical teams to build capacity. Today, 92% of ReSurge surgeries are done by local physicians trained through ReSurge programs in 19 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
ALERT Hospital’s plastic and reconstructive surgery program, administrative and technical teams are under the outstanding leadership of Drs. Shimelis Shimelis, Brook Demissie, Abraham Gebreegziabher, Atakiltie Baraki, Kaleab Girma Abebe, Ms. Hiwot Desalegne and Mr. Sefiw Molla. They boast one of the top plastic and reconstructive training programs within COSECSA | The College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa.
“This initiative is a perfect match in terms of uplifting our teaching process,” says Dr Abraham Gebreegziabher. “I would like to thank Resurge International and Proximie on behalf of all the beneficiaries. I am proud of ALERT’s administration, quality team, IT procurement, unit maintenance, and operating room staff.”
A one-week Microsurgery Workshop in April 2024 at Alert Hospital with ReSurge volunteers Drs. Kyle R. Eberlin, MD, Anna Luan MD, Sonia Mehta, and Cameron Kneib - visiting to work in collaboration with local surgical teams integrating use of Proximie for the first time - highlighted the transformative power of the partnership, with a focus on powerful cases restoring form and function to patients facing traumatic and ballistic injuries. Following this workshop, Proximie has been enabling consistency of ongoing training digitally, whereby there will be high-quality bidirectional learning between ReSurge and the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery at ALERT Hospital, as well as critical local and regional training opportunities.
“Proximie has been enabling consistency of ongoing training digitally…”
Head of Global Health at Proximie, Dr. Shannon Shibata-Germanos, says: "We are thrilled to be partnering with ReSurge and Alert Hospital for this hugely impactful initiative. There is a dire surgical workforce capacity shortage in LMICs which is a barrier to populations accessing life saving, quality, surgical care. The integration of Proximie into evidence-based surgical training programmes like ReSurge introduces a seamless way for critical frequency and consistency of training and mentorship opportunities for residents and trainees."
Working hand-in-hand with ReSurge International and ALERT Hospital, Proximie’s groundbreaking technology is helping to multiply the accessibility and impact of world-class surgical training in Ethiopia and across the world. Together, we are demonstrating the potential for a future of outstanding and scalable surgical training lies driven by technologically-empowered collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous learning.
“The dream is coming true for young Ethiopian surgeons who can now train in microsurgery in their home country,” says Natalie Meyers, MPH, Chief Program Officer at ReSurge International. “The hope is that each young visiting African surgeon who learns at this centre will bring that knowledge back to their home countries and build out their own plastic and reconstructive surgery training programs.”
“Working hand-in-hand with ReSurge International and ALERT Hospital, Proximie’s groundbreaking technology is helping to multiply the accessibility and impact of world-class surgical training in Ethiopia and across the world.”
Be a catalyst for change: Proximie's Share to Care scheme
As part of Proximie's global mission to improve the safety, accessibility, and productivity of surgical care around the world, the company has launched the Share to Care initiative, which enables any organisation to support the introduction and sustained use of digital technology across healthcare facilities in Africa.
Share to Care works on a Buy-One-Give-One basis, meaning that for every Proximie platform your organisation buys, we will match the purchase and equip a healthcare facility in Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda or Tanzania.
By participating in Share to Care, you are supporting a growing digital community of practice that allows for surgical teams from around the globe to connect and share best in practice in a borderless manner. Together, we can create a world where every patient, regardless of location, has access to safe and effective surgical care. To learn more about Share to Care, click here.
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