In March 2023, Dr. Dylan Nugent and MU orthopedic resident Pierre Schwab, MD, ventured on a mission trip to Haiti to the Centre de Santé Lumière Hospital. The goal of the mission was to provide assistance to Dr. Hughes Lami who is the local orthopaedic surgeon.
Dr. Lami is of Haitian origin and completed his residency in Venezuela. Working together, the three surgeons performed daily morning rounds before going to the OR. The days were interspersed with several clinic outpatient visits, consultations for emergent orthopaedic cases, and casting procedures. The visiting MU orthopedists were exposed to a variety of injuries including acute open tibial shaft fractures from motorcycle accidents, acute and neglected femoral shaft fractures in children, femoral neck fractures treated with traction, acute and chronic osteomyelitis, and implant infections. Dr. Dylan Nugent, an experienced orthopaedic trauma surgeon, spent many years in Kenya and was familiar with how to navigate complex injuries using limited resources.
Dr. Nugent and Dr. Lami taught Dr. Schwab how to stabilize long bone fractures with the SIGN system and how to manage complex orthopedic problems in a resource scant medical environment.
Dr. Schwab reported, “It was both a gratifying and humbling experience that reminds us of our sense of purpose in the medical field. The local staff work in less than ideal conditions every day. I hope to have the opportunity to go back to Haiti and will definitely orient my future practice to continue surgical missions throughout the world to help people who do not have access to proper healthcare. I hope this voyage is the beginning of a collaboration between the University of Missouri Orthopaedic Surgery Program and Haiti. It is a life-changing opportunity that should be shared with other MU orthopedic residents to expand their vision of the world and increase their humanitarian work. Dr. Nugent is a great mentor, and always gives great advice during rounds and in the operating room. “
