UAB physicians from the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery have a longstanding partnership with colleagues from several hospitals in Vietnam. The team has worked to strengthen programs in surgical neuro-oncology, hydrocephalus, spina bifida, vascular, and craniofacial surgery. Other pediatric surgery projects have focused on traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and brain tumors.

In addition to training visits, the UAB faculty have hosted global fellows in neurosurgery, neurology, pathology, anesthesia, nursing, and electrophysiology at Children’s of Alabama. In turn, Vietnamese partners have hosted a UAB neurosurgery resident, resulting in research training and the creation of REDCap databases for ongoing projects studying spina bifida, craniofacial surgery, and traumatic brain injury. The team has also helped to establish and evaluate augmented reality software paired with smartphones, tablets, and smart glasses for virtual mentoring.

UAB-Vietnam partnerships are part of a larger initiative of the Global Surgery Program at Children’s of Alabama, which includes programs in pediatric surgery, craniofacial surgery, orthopedic surgery, and cardiac surgery with partner hospitals in Vietnam, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, and Egypt. 

Many of these partnerships have been formed through InterSurgeon, an online social network built with a matching algorithm that was set up with UAB support in 2019 to connect surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and NGOs worldwide to facilitate collaborations in global surgery. Learn more on the Resources page. 

Leading UAB Faculty for Vietnam Initiatives

Brandon Rocque, M.D. (Hanoi)

James Johnston, M.D. (Ho Chi Minh City)

Partners

Children’s Hospital #2, Ho Chi Minh City (Can Thanh Dang Do, M.D., My Le, M.D.)

National Hospital for Pediatrics, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Hanoi 

Vietnam National Cancer Hospital (Nguyen Duc Lien, M.D., Nguyễn Thai Hoc, M.D.)

Vietnam National Pediatrics Hospital  (Le Nam Thang, M.D., Dang Anh Tuan, M.D., Cao Van Hung, M.D.)