Welcome, Dr. Kelly!

This June, we welcomed Dr. Kelly Shine to the FAME team as a part of a new partnership with Creighton University and their Global Surgery Fellowship Program.  Dr. Kelly comes to us after having practiced general surgery on the East Coast for 15 years. She graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. She has experience in general surgery, vascular surgery, and acute care surgery. 

When asked about her fellowship, she responded that the program is about "more than me." Creighton's goal with the Global Surgery Fellowship is to build relationships with hospitals abroad that may need resources that Creighton can provide. There is a particular emphasis on bidirectional learning through the fellowship. The idea is that both sides of the partnership will be able to enhance their knowledge and skills. Kelly mentioned that practicing here at FAME has already helped her revisit certain skill sets she doesn't use as often in the states. She also mentioned that she's seeing many cases that she wouldn't see in the US in her specialty, such as rabies or shoulder dislocations, as doctors who do surgery in rural Africa typically function as generalists as well. Through this program of partnership, Creighton has a vision of building ongoing relationships and, ideally, creating a foundation for the fellows to pursue a career in global surgery. 

A new program at Creighton, Kelly is the first fellow to participate in the Global Surgery Fellowship. She'll be spending a full year at FAME as a general surgeon, partnering with our doctors to teach them crucial components of general surgery and learning how to practice medicine in developing countries. She mentioned that when she's in the operating room, she’s not necessarily the one always doing the surgery. She said, "it's not for me to just do, it's for me to teach." In line with FAMEs mission of building local capacity, Kelly’s goal is to leave a substantially strengthened surgical team behind when she moves on.

In addition to building surgical capacity within our team, Kelly has already helped to put systems in place that have enabled us to shift where surgery patients are recovered. With new monitors now in place and nurse anesthetists and ward nurses working more closely together, Dr. Kelly looks forward to using our hospital’s Recovery Room more efficiently and consistently for post-op patients. We are so excited to see all that Dr. Kelly and our team accomplish together in the year ahead! To learn more about the Creighton Global Surgery Fellowship Program, visit Creighton's website.