{"id":127120,"date":"2025-10-24T10:35:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=127120"},"modified":"2025-12-02T10:47:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T16:47:58","slug":"unmc-department-of-anesthesiology-creates-lasting-impact-and-connections-in-zambia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/10\/24\/unmc-department-of-anesthesiology-creates-lasting-impact-and-connections-in-zambia\/","title":{"rendered":"UNMC Department of Anesthesiology creates lasting impact and connections in Zambia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two teams from the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology recently returned from a global health outreach trip to Lusaka, Zambia, where each team spent two weeks working alongside local faculty and trainees at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In addition to providing hands on and didactic clinical training to the residents of UTH, this annual departmental trip provides medical and cultural education to UNMC residents, fellows and faculty. \u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Led by faculty anesthesiologist Jeffrey Songster, MD, the second team included residents Hayden Brodersen, MD, and Zach Egr, MD, and cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellow Annie Yao, DO. This marked the second trip for Dr. Songster, who said he was surprised to be greeted with recognition and warmth by residents he had mentored two years prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was fantastic to see the growth they\u2019ve had during that time,\u201d Dr. Songster said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Songster mentored one of the residents in her quality improvement project assessing patient satisfaction with perioperative care to assess the competence of the anesthesia and surgical services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn this severely resource limited situation I am always impressed with their desire to improve where they can and find ways to support their requests for medications or equipment to their government with local data and evidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team\u2019s clinical contributions focused on practical anesthesia techniques using tools and supplies already available at UTH. These included point-of-care ultrasound, peripheral nerve blocks, intraoperative management concepts and fiberoptic intubation, an advanced airway skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After teaching a few fiberoptic intubations, Dr. Songster was humbled at the request of other Zambian residents to come and teach them the same skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was impacted in two ways: first by how much they want support and knowledge, and second that in only a few experiences together we were able to develop a relationship of trust where they felt comfortable asking for help,\u201d Dr. Songster said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Yao described how the team worked closely with the residents and OR staff in Lusaka, building relationships and tailoring their teaching to individual interests and needs. \u201cOur focus was to teach skills with the supplies they had so they could continue honing those techniques after we left,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one example, a Zambian resident sought help with a post-op block unfamiliar to Dr. Yao. Dr. Yao asked Dr. Songster to assist, allowing both her and the resident to learn the procedure together. \u201cIt was a great moment of collaboration and shared growth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team encountered stark differences in available resources compared to U.S. operating rooms, limited medication supply, reliance on oxygen tanks and creative adaptations in the absence of continuous infusions or advanced monitoring tools. Epinephrine was the only available vasopressor, and propofol supplies sometimes ran out by the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey rely heavily on regional anesthesia to conserve general anesthetics and opioids,\u201d Dr. Yao said. \u201cTheir resourcefulness and commitment to patient care was inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These challenges underscored the importance of planning, flexibility and resourceful practice, lessons the UNMC teams brought back with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents from both institutions formed close working relationships during the trip, with UNMC trainees stepping into teaching and mentoring roles. Dr. Songster praised the calm, clear-headed leadership demonstrated by each of them, recalling several moments where their support prevented potential harm during complex cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey recognized when Zambian residents weren\u2019t supported well enough in high-risk clinical situations,\u201d he said. \u201cIn each case, they either intervened directly or got help and those moments became valuable teaching opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Robert Guidangen, MD, who was part of the first team, the experience was a full-circle moment. He had previously worked in Kenya conducting public health research and supporting humanitarian aid projects as a pre-med student and returned to Africa more than a decade later in his final year of residency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur shared love of anesthesiology cuts across any differences in culture, language, national border, or economic circumstance, and I think there is something special in that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe read the same textbooks and share the same excitement over difficult airways and complex physiology. That connection makes me proud to be a steward of this specialty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Broderson agreed, noting that the Zambian residents\u2019 eagerness to learn was matched by their clinical capability and resilience. \u201cThey consistently delivered high-quality care with fewer resources and less support than we are accustomed to in the U.S.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trip wasn\u2019t without light-hearted and cultural highlights. Dr. Songster recalled the generosity of others who shared their staple food, nshima<\/em>, during cafeteria meals and how he later learned to make it himself, bringing corn meal home for his family. Another highlight was a traditional Zambian meal called kapenta <\/em>(little bite-sized whole fish), and fried caterpillars prepared by a woman who worked at the team\u2019s apartment complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a gesture highlighting the spirit of service and connection, Dr. Songster shared that Dr. Broderson literally gave the scrubs off his back to a young Zambian surgeon in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All members of the team said they would recommend the experience to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Dr. Egr said. \u201cGlobal health trips offer a unique opportunity to teach, learn and gain perspective, all while fostering meaningful human connections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an incredible privilege to be welcomed into their anesthesia team,\u201d Dr. Yao said. \u201cTo know that they\u2019ll continue using what we taught, even after we\u2019ve left, is deeply fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Egr added this experience has influenced his perspective on global health as well as his approach to clinical care, saying, \u201cIt deepened my commitment to education and reinforced how global collaboration strengthens our specialty by fostering shared learning, respect and innovation across borders. I hope to continue to perform more global health trips as I advance through my career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNMC\/Nebraska Medicine team members were:\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f Team One<\/strong>\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n