The "Bring Sinus Surgery to Cuba" Project (also knowns as "Bring FESS to Cuba") is a lifelong dream of Dr. Caballero.
Here is her full account as it originally appeared on the website for the Association of Women Surgeons.
My Dream Come True: Bringing Endoscopic Sinus Surgery to Cuba
By Nadia Caballero
Despite all the advances made in Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) over the last 4 decades, sinus surgery in most of Cuba today is still being performed using open approaches. Because of this, both adults and children have to undergo surgical procedures that are associated with higher morbidity and lower quality of life, and then live with the stigma due to the facial scars.
I was born in Cuba and moved to the United States when I was 18 years old. Even though I moved here, I have maintained a strong connection with my people and have always dreamed of giving back through medical education and fostering physician collaboration.
After I completed my fellowship in Rhinology and Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, I set out to make that dream a reality. I reached out to Dr. Hidalgo, the Chief of the Endoscopic Surgery Service Line at the National Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery in Havana, Cuba whom I had met during my residency training at Loyola Medical Center. For the next year, we worked together to organize the first Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Course for Cuban Otolaryngologists.
Dr. Hidalgo focused on recruiting physicians from all over the island with an interest in Rhinology and worked with his hospital director on building a Simulation Center for endoscopic surgery. He gained the support of the Cuban ENT Society and the Cuban Ministry of Health. I worked daily on raising funds to cover the costs of the cadaver specimens, food and transportation for all the attendees. I launched a Go-Fund Me campaign and joined forces with Global ENT Outreach, a foundation based in the United States dedicated to advancing Otolaryngologic care in the underdeveloped world.
I reached out to hundreds of industry partners, ENT physicians and the private sector. We encountered many obstacles as we moved from planning to execution, and many companies and individuals were unable to or chose not to help us, but we persisted and moved forward.
I wrote letters to Mrs. Karl Storz a generous philanthropist who believed in our goal. Her company, KARL STORZ, supported the mission with instrumentation and a donation to the foundation to cover the cost of the cadaver specimens. Members of her team in the US, Mexico, and Germany were invested in making the course a success, and everyone worked extremely hard towards this common goal.
Course participants are seen in the simulation lab performing hands-on cadaveric dissections while being tutored by faculty members.
I reached out to several world-renowned Rhinologists, including Professor Stammberger, one of the founding fathers of the field. He was the first faculty member to believe in my dream, and put the weight of his name, knowledge and expertise behind the mission. He agreed the be course co-director along with Dr. Hidalgo and myself. With him on board, I was able to recruit many other faculty members, most of which have either directly or indirectly influenced my development as a Rhinologist. All of the faculty agreed to participate and covered their own travel and hotel expenses.
Finally, from November 13th to 15th 2017, the course took place. The goal was to begin teaching FESS principles and techniques to Cuban Otorhinolaryngologists through a combination of conferences and hands-on cadaveric dissections. The Cuban physicians had the opportunity for the first time to learn and practice sinonasal endoscopic techniques. Over 70 Cuban Otolaryngologists from throughout the island attended the course, and 19 had the opportunity to participate in the lab. The course was also open to Otolaryngology residents and medical students with an interest in the specialty.
As a result of the course, the Cuban Ministry of Health decided to purchase FESS equipment for several hospitals all over the island. This will allow the physicians to begin implementing the techniques in their respective provinces and start developing the field of Rhinology in Cuba, thereby making a difference in the lives of thousands of Cuban patients.
Faculty (listed alphabetically):
Nadia Caballero, M.D. Chicago Nasal & Sinus Center, Chicago, IL
Rick Chandra, M.D. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
David Conley, M.D. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Jacquelynne Corey, M.D. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Roberto Esteban Ferrero, M.D. Instituto Superior de Otorrinolaringologa y Fonoaudiologa, Cordoba, Argentina
Samuel Girgis, M.D. Drs. Girgis & Associates Hinsdale, IL
David Gudis, M.D. Columbia University Medical Center, New York , NY
Adolfo Hidalgo, M.D. Centro Nacional de Cirugia de Minimo Acceso, La Habana, Cuba
Robert Naclerio, M.D. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Jose Ricardo Sanchez, M.D. Hospital Central Militar de Mexico DF, Santa Ana, Mexico
Brent Senior, M.D. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Carlos Cuilty Siller, M.D. Instituto tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
Heinz Stammberger, M.D. Medical University of Graz, Graz Austria
Peter Tomazic, M.D. Medical University of Graz, Graz Austria
Kevin Welch, M.D. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
