Left to right: Dr. D’Amico and Dr. Peter Waweru; Dennis Muya and Dr. Magalie Cadieux; Dr. Peter Njeru and Dr. Kimani.
Dr. Anthony Kamau is the Director of Clinical Services
Volunteer: Dr. Magalie Cadieux, Neurosurgeon, Washington University in St. Louis
Host Institution: Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH), Nairobi, Kenya
Program: KUTRRH Partnership with Lenox Hill New York
Activity: Boot Camp Faculty
Volunteer Dates: August 10–12, 2026
Primary Site Contact: Dr. Anthony Kamau, Director of Clinical Services
Additional Site Contact: Dr. Caroline Ngugi
Beneficiaries: Up to 10 young neurosurgeons
Total Volunteer Hours: 40 hours
Dr. Magalie Cadieux, a neurosurgeon at Washington University in St. Louis, recently served as FIENS Boot Camp faculty at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH) in Nairobi, Kenya. Her participation supported a collaborative educational initiative between KUTRRH and Lenox Hill New York focused on strengthening neurosurgical knowledge and skills among young neurosurgeons.
For Dr. Cadieux, an important aspect of the experience was gaining a better understanding of the neurosurgical capacity already present at KUTRRH. She found a well-established team providing a significant level of neurosurgical care and saw her role as an opportunity to complement that expertise by sharing additional techniques, practical insights, and “tips and tricks” drawn from her own training and clinical experience.
Education With Lasting Impact
One particularly meaningful component of the training focused on C1 and C2 screw techniques. The relevance of this education became apparent almost immediately.
Approximately one week after the program, surgeons at KUTRRH contacted Dr. Cadieux about a patient with a cervical spine injury similar to the cases and techniques they had discussed together. The team was excited to apply some of the nuances she had shared during the training.
This follow-up provided an important example of the potential durability of focused neurosurgical education: knowledge shared during a relatively short volunteer engagement was retained and applied by the local surgical team after the visiting faculty had left.
Opportunities to Strengthen Neurosurgical Care
The experience also helped identify areas where additional resources could further support neurosurgical care at KUTRRH. Dr. Cadieux noted the need for certain positioning equipment, particularly a Mayfield head holder, which could enhance the hospital’s ability to perform specific neurosurgical procedures.
At the same time, she observed that the hospital had access to important resources, including implants through Medtronic sub-vendors, demonstrating an existing foundation upon which additional capacity can continue to be built.
One clinical challenge identified during the visit was the timing of surgical intervention for spine patients. For example, one cervical spine fracture treated during the program was approximately six months old by the time of surgery, illustrating some of the complexities associated with timely access to specialized surgical care.
Dr. Cadieux also identified several lessons for future volunteer activities, including the value of planning surgical cases further in advance and recognizing how the absence of residents can affect operating room workflow and teaching dynamics.
Beyond the Operating Room
The educational impact extended beyond the surgeons participating in the program. Dr. Cadieux was particularly struck by the engagement of other members of the hospital community, including medical students and radiology staff.
One radiology technician stood out to her because of his enthusiasm and appreciation for the visiting team’s professionalism and commitment to KUTRRH. For Dr. Cadieux, this interaction reinforced the value of involving the broader hospital team in international educational partnerships rather than viewing neurosurgical training solely through the lens of surgeon-to-surgeon education.
Volunteer Impact
Dr. Cadieux contributed approximately 40 hours to the activity, including:
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- 10 hours of preparation
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- 25 hours of program and activity time
- 5 hours of follow-up
The program directly benefited approximately 30 young neurosurgeons, while also engaging medical students and other members of the KUTRRH clinical team.
Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Cadieux emphasized how meaningful it was to join a team with an already strong foundation of neurosurgical care and to contribute targeted knowledge that could complement their existing expertise. Most significantly, hearing from the surgeons after her departure and learning that they were already applying concepts discussed during the program demonstrated the potential for this type of educational collaboration to continue well beyond the dates of the visit.
Dr. Cadieux has expressed her interest in volunteering again in the future.
FIENS is grateful to Dr. Magalie Cadieux for contributing her time, expertise, and commitment to neurosurgical education and to the team at KUTRRH for welcoming this collaboration. Experiences such as these reflect FIENS’s commitment to strengthening neurosurgical education through professional exchange, mentorship, and sustainable partnerships with neurosurgical teams around the world.
