In early 2025, Dr. Daniel London and MU orthopedic resident Stephanie Choo, MD, took a mission trip to Tanzania where they worked to educate residents on complex surgical procedures at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) and Nkoaranga Lutheran Hospital.
Dr. Choo recounts the trip:
“When Dr. London asked me to accompany him on his surgical mission trip to Tanzania, I said ‘yes’ without any hesitation. I was excited at the prospect of teaching local residents hand surgery, helping the local community, and personally gaining experience in treating complicated orthopedic issues.
We spent two weeks in Tanzania working with residents and attending surgeons at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) and Nkoaranga Lutheran Hospital. Our first week was focused on educating residents - we attended morning fracture conference, hosted cadaver lab sessions and lectures, and spent time teaching residents during patient rounds and in the operating room. It wasn't uncommon to be operating in a room that was filled with several trainees that were eager to learn about how to approach a complex injury or see a procedure they never see. The opportunity to help the trainees at KCMC and Nkoaranga translate their book knowledge to clinical application was such a fulfilling experience. By the end of the trip, we did several upper and lower extremity trauma surgeries. We exposed residents to techniques for flap coverage for their chronic wound patients, peripheral nerve decompression and reconstruction surgeries, upper extremity tendon transfers, and osteotomy options for malunions of distal radius fractures. It was a great experience teaching them cases they had never considered doing before. Not only did we have the opportunity to teach residents' surgical skills and how to apply their orthopedic knowledge to develop plans for complex cases, but they also had the opportunity to teach us how to adapt and operate with the limited resources they have access to.
I was greeted by the community with open arms, we taught a lot in the OR and on the wards, we operated late, we made new friends and learned to speak some Swahili, and we enjoyed the country's culture and nature. This was my first international surgical experience, and I am eager to continue outreach trips to improve the lives of others through service and teaching, while also using these experiences to learn and grow from them myself.
I feel blessed to have had this experience early on in my career and I know this will shape how I practice as an attending physician. I want to express my gratitude for Dr. Gainor in supporting me to attend this trip and to Dr. London and the University of Missouri Orthopaedic Department for granting me the opportunity to take time during residency to have this experience.”
