The American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand partners with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) to fund the AFSH-HVO Young Surgeon Overseas Program. Participants are exposed to a wide range of surgical pathologies not commonly seen in the United States. Applications for the 2010 Program are no longer being accepted.
Surgeons in this program learn to communicate more effectively with people from different cultures and are exposed to the realities and constraints of delivering health care in a resource scarce environment. The participants are challenged to be flexible, to adapt to different circumstances and to hone their decision making skills.
Program participants apply and transfer their knowledge in
a developing country, which has an entirely different social and cultural milieu. Their overseas assignments afford the surgeons a chance to utilize their expertise in the field by improving the quality of hand surgery in their country of assignment.
Eligible suregons:
- R3, R4, R5
- Fellows
- Surgeons within 3 years of completing their fellowship
- Must not have been in practice for more than 5 years
Application:
- One Page letter lighlighting previous experience and motivation for seeking fellowship
- Current CV
- Letter of support from the director of residency program, director of fellowship program, or, if you are a young surgeon, a letter of support from the chief of surgery at the hospital you condust most of your surgeries. This letter should address the applicant's suitability for the traveling fellowship (ability to teach, adapt and be flexible).
Documents should be addressed to Nancy Kelly and sent to info@hvousa.org. Please include a reference to AFSH-HVO Fellowship in the subject line. All documents should be submitted in MS Word or PDF format. Electronic Submission is required. Application deadline was March 31, 2010.