Cheryl Major, RNC, helps train Haitian medical personnel during the visit to Haiti by physicians, nurses and technicians from the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. (photo by James Abbas)
Children’s Hospital team brings healing hands to Haiti
A team of physicians, nurses and technicians from the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt recently traveled to Haiti to provide hands-on training to caregivers and treat children in need.
The group, which was organized by Vernat Exil, M.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics, included specialists from Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology.
Neeru Kaushik, M.D., examines a child during the team’s visit to Haiti. (photo by James Abbas)
Joined in Port Au Prince by physicians from Miami Children’s Hospital, the group held clinics, hosted lectures and assisted the local children’s hospital, which is still damaged from the devastating earthquake in 2010.
“There is a great deal of hardship in Haiti,” said Barbara Englehardt, M.D., associate professor of Neonatology, who is already assisting in coordinating a return trip for the group.
“We want to figure out simple, inexpensive ways to reinforce Haiti’s efforts and help make their work, as well as ours, more efficient and effective,” Englehardt said.
For Neeru Kaushik, M.D., assistant professor of Pediatric Cardiology, it was her first trip to Haiti with the team. Despite poor conditions and limited resources, she said parents were grateful to receive a diagnosis for their child.
“Even if families received a disappointing diagnosis, just having an answer was important to them.” Kaushik said. “The experience was difficult, but also very motivational. It was an amazing opportunity to give back, and I feel so privileged to have been able to help.”
In addition, Cheryl Major, RNC, an outreach education coordinator at Children’s Hospital, provided three days of in-depth, neonatal resuscitation training for medical students and other caregivers.
Other members of the team included Daniel Saurers, RCS, technical director of the Pediatric Echo Lab at Children’s Hospital, and James Abbas, Ph.D., director of the Center for Adaptive Neural Systems at Arizona State University.