Doi:10.1016/j.surneu.2008.01.040

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Gary Heit, MD, PhD, and Americare Neurosurgery International Pursuing a medical education followed by additional long Arias Villena. They operated on 25 patients. Cases ranged years in specialty training requires vision, commitment, hard from reconstruction of complex spinal deformities to repair of work, perseverance, and an unwavering desire to achieve pediatric skull fractures and treatment of adult brain tumors.
excellence. These requirements and goals become habits that Because of the excellence and expertise of the well-trained serve us well as we grow our careers.
and well-organized neurosurgical team, they were able to The specialty of neurological surgery and of allied complete their work without experiencing any complications.
specialties has grown to levels of excellence often taken Doctor Heit and his neurosurgical and orthopedic team for granted today, and this has occurred primarily during the returned home physically tired but exhilarated and with lifetimes of many of us who are today's senior neurosur- stories to tell. They also had a vision for more volunteer work geons. To the question, “Where does the specialty of in the future. Doctor Heit and his colleague, Ms Gerstner, neurosurgery go from here?” we must respond, “To even developed a medical care model for a humanitarian organization they named Americare Neurosurgery Interna- We must also address the question, “What can be done to bring modern neurosurgery to people in developing The stated goal of AMCANI is to promote locally countries where so little neurosurgical care is available sustainable, modern neurosurgical care in developing countries, maintaining respect for the local population and Gary Heit, PhD, MD, works to bring modern neurosur- with integration of the work into the local culture. It is the gery to people who do not have access to it. His first medical endeavor of AMCANI to increase the level of medical care mission was inspired by his sister who lives in Peru and who in host countries by providing professional training and the told him of the tremendous health care needs there. Sharing development of appropriate support resources such as his vision with colleagues, he found that they, too, were physical therapy, rehabilitation skills, and nursing care in interested in joining him on these missions.
the context of supply capital equipment that the host country Then, Dr Heit learned that neurosurgical instruments and other items of essential equipment commonly available here In launching AMCANI, Dr Heit describes his premise: are absent there. Children in Peru die because shunts are not “We as Americans are fortunate yet wasteful. Modern available to treat hydrocephalus. He approached medical neurosurgery requires expensive capital equipment that equipment and supply representatives, asking for donations.
frequently cannot be afforded in developing countries. At Many have demonstrated heartening generosity, donating the same time, hospitals in the United States are retiring equipment that is still viable for medical practice. For On May 18, 2002, Dr Heit set off for Cuzco, Peru, as a example, the operative microscope has been a defining neurosurgeon volunteer. Accompanying him were 13 element of modern neurosurgery, and even though these surgical colleagues, nurses, and surgical technicians. They instruments have the potential to last for many years brought shunt hardware, spinal fusion instruments and requiring only such low cost maintenance as light bulb hardware, external ventricular drains, and antibiotics includ- changes, they are often replaced by newer models. However, ing Kezol and Keflex, steroids, and of course, greatly delivery of a retired operative microscope to a competent appreciated donations of cash to cover transportation costs.
neurosurgeon in a developing country can revolutionize his Arriving in Cuzco was an operating team composed of 2 neurosurgeons, 1 orthopedic surgeon, several registered “It is the aim of AMCANI to recycle durable equipment nurses, and other perioperative personnel. The team spent that has minimal overhead and to deliver with that equipment 10 days in Peru working in association with Dr Diomedes training in the neurosurgical techniques it enables and the 0090-3019/$ – see front matter 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi: Editorial / Surgical Neurology 69 (2008) 544–545 postoperative care required for more complex procedures. By person who has had a vision for service to others becomes having neurosurgical teams accompany this equipment, and the spark that ignites the fire in others.
offering teaching expertise, this model will benefit thousands Through Profiles in Volunteerism editorials in Surgical of patients throughout the developing world. The plan will Neurology, it is our goal to raise awareness of the tremendous also help in minimizing waste in our own US medical system.
needs in the world today and to encourage others to help “In sum, the purpose of AMCANI is to deliver bring modern neurosurgery to people in developing neurosurgical training and durable medical supplies to countries. We also remind our readers of their unique local neurosurgeons in developing countries.” abilities to identify medical equipment and supplies that The Americare Neurosurgery International has received might be donated by hospitals and by surgical supply 501(c)3 status from the Internal Revenue Service. This companies for use in countries where the needs are so great.
enables volunteer physicians and nurses to deduct on their As Dr Heit and his colleagues have shown us, much can tax returns their travel and subsistence expenses.
be done to bring improved neurosurgical care to developing Since the Peru mission, Dr Heit and AMCANI volunteers countries. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has have also done volunteer neurosurgical work at the launched Operation Giving Back Program through which Department of Neurosurgery at the Hue Medical College neurosurgeons who wish to volunteer can find their place to in Vietnam, and they are preparing to work in hospitals in serve. The ACS offers a list of organizations like AMCANI other countries. For these, AMCANI seeks neurosurgical through which neurosurgeons can volunteer.
teaching volunteers who are board eligible or board certifiedNeurosurgeons, and also surgical nurses, neurointensivists, neurologists, and other qualified team members.
The volunteer work Dr Heit has done through AMCANI demonstrates the effect that can be accomplished by one person. The enthusiasm shown in the telling of stories by one Your help is needed, in bringing Neurosurgery to the world.
Can you help the journal of Surgical Neurology in the following ways? 1. If you have done volunteer work as a Neurosurgeon, or know of someone who has done this kind of work, please send a summary page giving your name, or that of the other volunteers you are able to identify to [email protected] andalso contact information and a brief description of the work you (or they) have done. Through an editorial page in SurgicalNeurology, we want to identify as many neurosurgeon volunteers as we can.
2. Should you have an interest in volunteering for a short-term assignment in a developing country, either as a Clinical Neurosurgeon or as a Visiting Professor of Neurosurgery, please let us know.
You may contact Surgical Neurology, to see what you can do to bring Neurosurgery to people less fortunate than you

Source: http://www.amcani.org/Cheatham.pdf