Bolivian anesthesiologist selected for ASA Global Health Fellowship

Expanding opportunities to advance neuroanesthesia care in South America

While most of our training activities bring US medical professionals to Bolivia and Paraguay, we also periodically coordinate what we call “Solidarity Visits” for South American doctors to participate in educational and exchange opportunities in the US. Last month we had the pleasure of facilitating an especially momentous visit by Bolivian anesthesiologist Dr. Bianca Becerra, selected to participate as a Global Health Fellow at the annual conference of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).  

Dr. Becerra’s Solidarity Visit was made possible through the support of multiple organizations and individuals committed to the advancement of global health, as well as Dr. Becerra’s firm commitment to advance neuroanesthesia and neurotrauma care in her native Bolivia. Dr. Becerra is the first person from South America—and the first with a neuroanesthesiology focus—to be chosen as an ASA Global Health Fellow. Following her participation in the ASA conference, her Solidarity Visit also included a week-long observership at the University of Washington in Seattle, hosted by Solidarity Bridge missioner Dr. Deepak Sharma. 

The seeds for Dr. Becerra’s visit were planted back in April 2022, when our Neurosurgery and Neurology Institute (NNI) invited Dr. Deepak Sharma to provide neuroanesthesia training in Asunción, Paraguay. Dr. Sharma later joined a trip to Bolivia where he was further inspired to strengthen collaborations between US and South American anesthesiologists. Dr. Sharma has worked both in one of the world’s leading trauma centers in the US and in under-resourced settings in India, making him an excellent mentor for our partners in Paraguay and Bolivia seeking to expand access to high-quality care within the constraints of their local healthcare systems. Following his trips, Dr. Sharma shared the ASA Global Health Fellows application with our colleagues in Bolivia and Paraguay and encouraged them to apply. NNI members lent further encouragement and support to interested doctors during the application process. Finally, the ASA selected Dr. Bianca Becerra as the first South American fellow. 

Dr. Becerra’s two weeks in the US were packed with activities, including opportunities to share her knowledge with her North American colleagues through a poster session at the ASA conference and a presentation at the University of Washington Hospital on neurotrauma care in Bolivia.

Upon returning to Bolivia, Dr. Becerra  reflected on her experience:

This has been a very important opportunity for me. I’ve had the chance to grow and to change my perspective, which I will also share with my students. I learned many things about safety protocol that I will definitely apply in my daily practice and implement in my hospital. I also gained self-confidence and overcame my fear of speaking English!

Dr. Sharma and Dr. Becerra at UW Seattle Hospital.

Dr. Sharma also shared reflections on Dr. Becerra’s visit and on the future of our work in Bolivia:

While global health mission trips allow US physicians to learn about our partners in developing countries, the contact is typically brief and does not allow our partner physicians to directly witness our work in the U.S. This trip helped expose Dr. Becerra to the largest anesthesiology conference in the world where she was able to attend several educational sessions, meet the leaders of ASA, and become a part of the ASA’s global health community, connecting with scholars from across the world.

Her observership at the University of Washington, Seattle, immersed her in the practice of clinical care at one of the leading trauma centers in the world. Beyond individual patient-level clinical care, she also learned about the organizational structure of a trauma center and comprehensive stroke center. She engaged in quality improvement meetings and academic sessions and hopefully got ideas for starting similar activities at her own institution. Last but not least, this also allowed for a fuller cultural exchange and helped us build a long-term commitment to working together.

We are grateful to Dr. Sharma for his steadfast support of Dr. Becerra and our other partners in Bolivia and Paraguay. And we are hopeful that the ASA will support additional South American anesthesiologists in the coming years. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make this Solidarity Visit possible, including: the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA); the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at University of Washington, Seattle; the Bolivian Neurosurgical Society; Puente de Solidaridad; Hospital Belga of Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Edwards Lifesciences for supporting the ASA Global Scholars program.