The Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is committed to enhancing the preoperative care of patients worldwide. This goal is realized through clinical practice, advancements in basic science and medical research, and the ongoing education of medical professionals. Although the majority of our clinical work is accomplished in the metro St. Louis area, two members of the department are applying their medical skills and talents abroad.
Necita Roa, MD and Kenneth Sykes, MD, PhD are traveling to the city of Roxas in the province of Isabella in the Philippines. While there, they will be providing anesthesia for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, thyroidectomies due to goiter, open cholecystectomies for gall bladder disease, hysterectomies, and also for orthopedic surgeries for congenital disorders.
Dr. Roa attended the University of the Philippines and completed her training at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. The Necita Roa Award in Anesthesiology, a fund established by Dr. Roa, will help to support this medical mission as a yearly event for our anesthesiology residents. Considering that Dr. Roa is currently the longest standing faculty member in the department of anesthesiology and that she was part of Washington University’s Department of Anesthesiology’s first class of residents, she is no stranger to innovative graduate medical education. This tradition of innovation is one she is determined to continue through the establishment of this fund.
Kenneth Sykes, MD, PhD, is a graduate of Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa and he completed his residency at Washington University in 2011. Currently, Dr. Sykes is a pain research fellow and FAER-grant recipient working in the research lab of Dr. Robert Gereau. He will begin his clinical pain fellowship training starting July 2012.
Throughout the mission they will be sending updates and forwarding pictures. Check back often to see their progress.