Global Health

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The UCLA Division of Pediatric Surgery has been involved in global health activities, partnering closely with the The UCLA Program in Global Health, Mending Kids International and Partners for Pediatric Progress.

An alliance between UCLA and Eduardo Mondlane School of Medicine in the southeastern African country of Mozambique, has allowed our division to participate in the training of a local pediatric surgeon, Dr. Atanasio Taela.

Three doctors operating on a patient

There is an extreme shortage of trained physicians in Mozambique, and Dr. Taela is the only local general surgeon dedicated to pediatric surgery in a country with over 10 million children. Our hope is that by helping to train Dr. Taela, the Chief of Pediatric Surgery at the major training hospital in the country, that we will provide a meaningful and sustainable impact on pediatric surgical care in Mozambique.

The Division of Pediatric Surgery has hosted clinical and research fellows from all over the world including Spain, Hong Kong, China, Armenia and Taiwan.

Our faculty members, Dr. Daniel DeUgarte and Dr. Shant Shekherdimian, have also been involved with the UCLA Global Surgery Initiative and Global Health Clinical Electives, helping to mentor and set up opportunities for residents and medical students to gain first-hand exposure to all facets of global health, including clinical experiences, research, global health policy and economics. These experiences can promote humanism and compassion in the developing physician and nurture the careers of the next generation of health care leaders.

Dr. Shant Shekherdimian

Dr. Shant Shekherdimian has led various projects aimed at improving the quality of surgical care in Armenia and other Former Soviet Republics. He serves as an advisor to the Armenia’s Minister of Health, and has been on the faculty of several annual educational symposiums that take place in Armenia.

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