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Postcard from
Mozambique Daniel DeUgarte, MD ’97 (RES ’05), is
associate clinical professor of surgery at the
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
He trained in general surgery at UCLA and in
pediatric surgery at the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor. In 2013, he earned a Master of
Science in clinical research and a Global
Health Certificate from UCLA. Dr. DeUgarte
now serves as co-director of the Global
Health Education Programs, one of the major
initiatives of the UCLA Center for World Health.
In 2010, he was invited by Lee Todd Miller, MD,
vice chair for education in the Department of
Pediatrics and director of the Global Health
Education Programs, to join a Partners for
Pediatric Progress trip to Mozambique to
help provide training in pediatric surgery.
Dr. DeUgarte has returned to Mozambique
seven times since his first trip.
When I first traveled to Mozambique, in
2010, there were only 10 local pediatricians
and one general surgeon dedicated to the
care of the country’s 10-million children.
Inspired by the work that Dr. Miller was
doing in pediatrics, I decided to devote
a portion of my career to making a
sustainable impact on pediatric surgical care
in Mozambique by helping to build local
capacity. The rewards of my training and
proctoring trips over the years have been
immense. As an example, I helped a young
local surgeon, Vanda Amado, MD, perform
her first repair of a complex cloacal birth
defect. Dr. Amado and I were so grateful
for the opportunity to help this beautiful
infant girl and her family. However,
without reliable anesthesia support and
postoperative care, our operations have
not always been successful. Operating in
Mozambique has also required that we
creatively find solutions to address limited
supplies. For example, we have utilized
a 50-cent thermostat wire and a $200
nerve stimulator in place of a commercial
$10,000 muscle stimulator to evaluate the
anal sphincter complex in our repairs of
anorectal malformations. These experiences
also have given me perspective on excessive
healthcare costs and wastefulness in the
United States. I now have a much-better
appreciation for how the Mozambican
physicians have adapted to the local
environment, and I am invigorated to
contribute to developing the health system
With the establishment of the UCLA
Center for World Health by A. Eugene
Washington, MD, MSc, vice chancellor
of UCLA Health Sciences and dean of
the David Geffen School of Medicine
at UCLA, it is an incredible time to be
involved in global health at UCLA. When
I was a medical student, global-health
opportunities were not readily available.
Now, students can competitively apply for
supplemental funding to participate in
research and clinical experiences abroad.
Dr. Daniel DeUgarte (left) and Dr. Vanda Amado with patients in Mozambique.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Daniel DeUgarte
as a whole. Now, there are two trained
Mozambican pediatric general surgeons
and three additional ones in training. The
partnership I established has expanded to
include multiple exchange programs, as
well as quality-improvement and research
activities. Our support has come from
Mending Kids International, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief,
Sun West Mortgage Co., Inc., and from the
generosity of other philanthropic sources.
I have no doubt that our students return
home with more humanism, a richer
cultural sensitivity and an even-greater
commitment to working with underserved
populations here in our own backyards —
and I’m proud to contribute in this arena
as well.
For more information about the
UCLA Center for World Health, go to:
worldhealth.med.ucla.edu U MAGAZINE
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