At the center of any knowledge exchange lies a strong leadership, dedicated to helping their learners succeed and broaden their horizons.
This was also the case for this week’s Maternal and Infant Health seminar, which took place from September 8 to 14, 2024. Course director Dr. Richard A. Polin (Columbia University) and co-course director Andreas W. Flemmer (Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU)) headed the faculty with ease. Dr. Polin led this course for the 28th time, while Dr. Flemmer served as the program’s co-course director for the first time. Dr. William E. Benitz (Stanford University School of Medicine), Dr. Peter G. Davis (The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne), Dr. George R. Saade (Eastern Virginia Medical School), and Dr. Ronald Wapner (Columbia University) made up the remainder of the faculty cohort. The fact that the experts stemmed from so many different international medical establishments gave the fellows a unique learning experience by offering them a glimpse into the practices of not only one top-notch medical institution but five!
Moreover, these six specialists traveled all the way from Australia, Germany, and the USA to teach our 35 fellows pro bono. The participants had a busy schedule, which was made up of an introductory round, two tests (pre- and post-seminar), 19 didactic lectures, two fellow case presentation sessions, one case presentation session by the faculty members that was split between neonatologists and obstetricians, and one Q&A hour in which participants could ask the faculty questions. The lectures’ topics ranged from “Perinatal Infection and Premature Delivery” and “Physiologic Approaches to Severe BPD” to “CDH and PPHN” and “Prenatal Screening”.
Co-course director Dr. Flemmer depicted the contents and goals of this successful seminar as, “the up-to-date topics that were discussed addressed daily clinical problems of prenatal and postnatal management of infants at risk. What made this seminar special was its interdisciplinary focus that reflects the daily life in perinatal centers where the communication between obstetricians and neonatologists is crucial for achieving the best neonatal outcome.”
In line with the co-course director’s statement, this interdisciplinary seminar indeed offered fellows the unique opportunity to network with participants outside of their own specialty and from different countries. Neonatologists and obstetricians worked hand in hand, mimicking and discussing real-life scenarios at their hospitals. The benefits of this interdisciplinary education were immediately noticeable. One of our fellows Dr. Anisa Mukaj from Albania described the benefits: “For me, as an obstetrician, it was very insightful that some lectures focused on neonatology because I learned new information as well as gained different viewpoints on topics that I am familiar with.”
Our fellows traveled from 27 countries, including Albania, Ethiopia, Montenegro, and Uzbekistan, to take part in this course centered around mothers’ and infants’ health. They forged lifelong friendships, learned from each other’s experiences during the fellows’ case presentation sessions, and compared their medical knowledge through tests at the start and the end of the week.
“The international setting of the seminar adds new perspectives to the discussions between faculty and fellows who come from different economic as well as cultural backgrounds, leading to a broader view on treatment trajectories.”, Dr. Flemmer remarks.
This quote from Dr. Flemmer serves as a reminder of the importance of considering diverse viewpoints and cultural differences when engaging in knowledge exchanges
Anna Sargsyan, MD
OMI fellow from Armenia
Małgorzata Król-Dopierała, MD
OMI fellow from Poland
Tito Chaula, MD
OMI fellow from Tanzania
“The case presentations were very educational and engaging. It was interesting to learn how different fellows manage various conditions according to their countries’ healthcare systems and resources.”
