FIENS and the University of Wisconsin in Madison (UW-Madison) faculty and alumni of the Department of Neurological Surgery and the Bolivian Neurosurgical Society, in partnership with Solidarity Bridge, are developing a neurosurgical education system to enhance the training of Bolivian neurosurgical residents.
The planning for this program began back in 2019 but political upheaval and COVID-19 slowed the progress in 2020-2021. The program will be incremental, starting with 2 sub-specialties (pediatric and spine), later extending to the other neurosurgical fields (tumor, vascular & skull base, functional, and peripheral nerve). The educational sessions are virtual, taking place monthly or bimonthly over a period of a year, culminating in an in-person hands-on session in Bolivia for the participants.
The program aims to increase surgical capacity in Bolivia through resource mobilization, education, and assessment for 3rd and 4th-year neurosurgery residents in La Paz, Santa Cuz, and Sucre, Bolivia.
The curriculum includes a didactic program, an in-person bootcamp, educational conferences, observational visits, mentor-mentee assignments, and assessments. To learn more about this curriculum please click here.
