MUSC Catalyst

January 25, 2013 MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA Vol. 31, No. 22

The first of 15 pediatric patients in Perugave Margaret Relle, a second-year MUSC

perfusion student, and Alicia Sievert, anMUSC pediatric perfusionist, the biggestsmile of their nearly week-long medicalmission trip to Lima, Peru, last October.

The patient came in to the minimalist,Spanish-speaking hospital with her hair in pigtails. She was bright-eyed, with no worry thatshe needed to have heart surgery in order tosurvive and live a normal life.

The anesthesiologists, cardiologists, cardiacsurgeons, echo cardiologists, scrub nurses andperfusionists who had traveled to the InstitutoNacional de Salud del Niño from around the

world through Heart Care International Inc.(HCI) were anxious to meet her. She wouldbe the first patient that the group would facewithout the use of their traditional kinds ofmonitors and safety devices.

Her surgery was a success. By the end of theday, she was sitting up with a lollipop in hermouth. The next morning the little girl wasout of bed – still wearing her soft pajamas –and walking down a bright pink hallway withher parents.

“She was just holding her mom’s hand andsmiling,” Relle said. “That was the momentwhere everyone thought, ‘This is exactly whywe’re here.’”

Relle and Sievert’s 20-person HCI groupincluded medical professionals from Oregon,

By Ashley BArker

Public Relations

A mission to save Peruvian children8

6DeDicateD

Service

The AmericanHeart Association,

along with theAmerican Stroke

Association,recognized MUSCfor its exceptional

patient care.

The VP forclinical operations

and executivedirector of themedical center

retires.

Inside

the catalyStOnline

http://www.musc.edu/

catalyst

StrikinggOlD

4

7

5

Excellence

Meet Debbie

Earl B. Higgins

A group of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, scrub nurses and perfusionists went to Lima, Peru, to help save children withcongenital heart defects through surgery and to train local medical professionals.

A Heart Care International Inc. pillowwas placed in the bed with eachrecovering heart-surgery patient.See Mission on page 10

2 The CATAlysT, January 25, 2013

The Catalyst is published once a week.Paid adver tisements, which do notrepresent an endorsement by MUSCor the State of South Carolina, arehandled by Island Publications Inc. ,Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St. ,Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or843-958-7490. E-mail: [email protected].

Editorial of ficeMUSC Office of Public Relations135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C,Charleston, SC 29425.843-792-4107Fax: 843-792-6723

Editor: Kim [email protected]

Catalyst staff:Cindy Abole, [email protected] Barker, [email protected]

For the past 10 weeks, I have beeninvolved with the Healthy Charleston

Challenge, a weight loss competitionat MUSC’s Wellness Center. Whileattending the MUSC dietetic internshipopen house last December,this program caught myattention as it was a uniqueexperience that is not offeredby any other internship.

During the challenge,participants were dividedinto teams and paired witha personal trainer anddietetic intern. My job asthe dietetic intern was toreview the participants’ foodlogs, making comments andsuggestions for improvementas needed. I also spent time with theparticipants at their weekly meetingsdiscussing recipes and menus.

It wasn’t until a few weeks into theprogram that I realized we were notinvolved in the program just to reviewfood logs or to teach the participantsabout a healthy diet. We were there tobuild relationships with the participantsand learn just how difficult makinghealthy lifestyle changes can be.

Before I became involved, I wouldbecome frustrated while spendinghours attempting to educate patientson the complications of chronic

disease associated with obesity orpoor dietary choices. After getting thepatient perspective from my challengeparticipants on how much courage ittakes to actually change one’s lifestyle, I

became a better professional.While most entry-level

registered dietetian positionsare acute-care based, I worrythat I will be unable tofoster behavior change andprevention with my futurepatients. Many people thinknutrition only involvesformula calculations, weightloss advice or general healthyeating tips. In reality, itinvolves getting to know thepatient and their struggles,

and tailoring our approach to theirindividual needs and life challenges.

During the finale of the program, I wasable to see how far both the participantsand the staff had come. Althoughnot all participants looked noticeablyslimmer, they were certainly all healthierand happy to have completed such achallenging task.

The final message of the programwas that weight loss is not about imageor finding an easy way to drop a fewpounds, but about small changes inbecoming healthier and creating a betterquality of life.

Promoting total health moreimportant than weight loss

NutritionmattersAngela Fish

Dietetic Intern

Members of the MUSC CommunityIt is my pleasure to share with you the outcome of the search for the vice

president for clinical operations and executive director of the Medical UniversityHospital Authority. About six months ago, we began the process of selecting asuccessor for Stuart Smith. A search committee was appointed and Dean EttaPisano served as its chair. Working with search consultants, a very strong field ofcandidates was identified from across the country. Three rounds of interviewswere conducted, ultimately leading to a unanimous selection by our board oftrustees. The board felt that the most outstanding candidate was right here atMUSC and Dr. Pat Cawley, our current executive medical director and chiefmedical officer, was offered the position.

A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. Cawley received his medical degree fromGeorgetown University and his master’s degree in business administration fromthe University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He trained in internal medicine atDuke University and was named a master in hospital medicine by the Societyof Hospital Medicine. He also is certified by the American College of PhysicianExecutives and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Heis a past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Dr. Cawley brings to his new position a deep understanding and appreciationfor the medical university. He has been a champion for MUSC Excellence, andunder his guidance, we have made tremendous progress in measures of qualityand patient safety. The University Healthsystem Consortium recently recognizedthese efforts by awarding the coveted Rising Star honor to the medical university.We fully expect that Dr. Cawley will bring this same dedicated pursuit ofexcellence to his new responsibilities.

In order to allow the smoothest possible transition in leadership, Dr. Cawleywill serve as executive director designate, working closely with interim executivedirector Kester Freeman through the end of March. At the beginning of April,Dr. Cawley will assume the executive director position. In the interim, he andMr. Freeman will focus on working with our senior leadership team and HuronHealthcare to implement a number of initiatives to improve our performanceand increase our efficiency. Dr. Cawley also will work in the next few months todevelop longer-term plans and appoint his successor as executve medical directorand chief medical officer.

I trust you will join me in welcoming Dr. Cawley to his new role. Thank youfor all you do to advance the mission of the medical univeristy and to help usserve the citizens of South Carolina.

With best wishes,

Raymond S. Greemberg, M.D., Ph.D.MUSC President

A call for nominations is under wayto all MUSC faculty and students. Thepurpose of these awards is to recognizemembers of the MUSC faculty whohave made outstanding contributionsto the university through teaching.

Awards may be given from thefollowing categories:q Clinical/Professional (Educator-Mentor): For teaching excellence innon-traditional roles with individualsor small groups, specifically those whoteach, mentor, or serve as role modelsin their clinical and professionaldevelopment.q Scholarship/Academic (Educator-Mentor): For teaching excellence innon-traditional roles with individuals

or small groups, specifically thosewho teach, mentor, or serve as rolemodels in their scholarly or academicdevelopment.q Educator-Lecturer: For teachingexcellence in traditional, didactic orclassroom teaching.q Developing Teacher: For teachingexcellence demonstrated by a juniorfaculty member in either of the abovecategories.

In addition to a commemorativemedallion, each recipient will receivea cash award from the MUSCFoundation. The deadline fornominations is Jan. 28. Forms maybe obtained and submitted at http://www.carc.musc.edu/nomination/.

Nominations being accepted for teaching awards

The CATAlysT, January 25, 2013 3


Medical Center

‘Making a difference every day’

Willette Smith, Business Development& Marketing Services

“Willette Smith truly went above andbeyond to help me in the marketing

department. Asan intern, I wascompleting twomajor directmail projects.Deadlineswere quicklyapproaching,and I wasoverwhelmed as itwas the first timeI had completed

projects of this kind. I asked Willette tohelp me understand the next steps inthe project and to ask for any advice shehad for me in order to keep the projectmoving along. In addition, Willette tookit upon herself to connect me with thecontact at the print shop by explainingthe project to him. Because of Willette,the project kept moving along smoothly,and she helped me to understandthe process and complete the projectefficiently.”Nominated by Janna Cone

Jocelynn Reese, Hollings Cancer CenterJocelynn works in the infusion suite

at Hollings Cancer Center. Tina Graves,a nurse in thearea, wrote: “Ihad a patientwho becameincreasinglyconfused. Shewas manipulatingher IV line andkept getting upout of her chair.She did seem

to calm down when I was in the chairbeside her but I couldn’t stay there as Ihad other patients. I was getting a littleoverwhelmed because I felt this lady’ssafety was at risk. Jocelynn saw that I washaving trouble and all the patient needed

was someone to talk to and distract herfrom her IV lines. She hopped right upand said, ‘I’ll sit with her, the desk iscovered.’ She was calm and made a bigdifference to my patient and to me.”Nominated by Carrie Weston

Aaron Huber, 9E Neuroscience Unit“Aaron stepped in to help when a

patient became combative and beganthrowing things.Even after beingpunched inthe stomach bythe patient, heremained calmand professional.When the patientran off the unithe followedher, runningdown stairs and

outside to ensure her safety. After theexcitement of the chase, Aaron returnedto the unit only to find that the incisionon his patient’s neck began oozing. Thepatient’s blood pressure became high,and her heart rate dropped. Unshaken,he assisted the doctors while theyintubated and didn’t skip a beat.”Nominated by Stacy Harris

Randy Pilch, 9E Neuroscience Unit“Randy went the extra mile to ensure

the safety of his peers and patients onthe floor whenone of hispatients becamecombativewith staff andbegan throwingfurniture.He went intoprotector modeand shut all ofthe open patientroom doors near

his patient that was on a destructiverampage. He put himself in harm’s wayto prevent other patients, their families,and staff from getting hurt.”Nominated by Stacy Harris

Employees of the Month

Jerry Squires, M.D., transfusion medicine director, Pathology & Lab Medicine“Dr. Squires always demonstrates enthusiasm for his work and goes above

and beyond to identify areas of improvement — workingcollaboratively to improve the care of patients in a cost-effective manner. MUSC is blessed to have someonewith his talent, drive and determination to ensure ourpatients, systems and processes meet the highest ofstandards.

Dr. Squires emulates the MUSC standards of behaviorevery day. He is a delight to work with and also is areally good educator. He is always concerned about thetechnologists that work in the transfusion medicinedepartment and always willing to share interesting casestudies with the team. He supports the goals of the

organization through his active participation in the BloodUtilization 5/5 plans by providing consultative services and education for patientcare providers. Dr. Squires regularly comes in at night to discuss case studies withthe third shift staff members.

Patient care is top priority, and Dr. Squires is always ready to assist thepathology residents and blood bank staff with education and support. He holdsthe upmost kindness and respect while maintaining a certain diligence andattitude to make sure testing is performed correctly.”Nominated by Joyce Foster, Daniel Pach, Karen Garner and Gloria Prosser

The phlebotomy team in the Hollings Cancer Center laboratory isawarded the patient satisfaction banner for the first quarter of fiscalyear 2013 by MUSC Excellence. This same team won the hand hygieneaward in 2012. From left: Melanie Warren, phlebotomy manager; MarkLawless, phlebotomist team leader; Beth Williams, phlebotomist;Joann Thomason, inpatient coordinator; Rhonda Fleischman,phlebotomist; Nancy Reilly-Dixon, director of laboratory services;Angel Orechovesky, operations coordinator; and Patti Warnack,phlebotomist. Not pictured is Samantha Hurn.

PhlebOtOmy team winS high Patient markS

Physician of the Month


Meet Debbie

Debbie CannonDepartmentUniversity PurchasingHow long at MUSC9 monthsHow are you changing what’s possibleat MUSCBy providing the best possible customerservice that I canChildrenKatie, 15, and Phillip, 24Dream jobTelecommuting (just about any position)from Tortula or St. JohnMeal you love to cookGrilled tuna, asparagus and baked sweetpotatoA must-have in your fridgeHummusFavorite radio station95SXDream vacationAnywhere a cruise ship is headedFavorite place in the worldTortula, British Virgin IslandsFavorite quote“Let food be thy medicine and medicine bethy food.”— Hippocrates


On Dec. 31, 2012, W. Stuart Smith, vice presidentfor clinical operations and executive director of

the medical center, retired after 40 years of dedicatedservice.

Smith, who joined MUSC as a hospitaladministrative resident in 1973, has been instrumentalin numerous activities from establishing the medicalcenter’s first comprehensive strategic plan to theopening of Ashley River Tower, phase one in theMedical University Hospital Authority’s (MUHA)hospital replacement project.

In the past four decades and since leading themedical center enterprise, Smith has witnessed andcontributed to many of the medical center’s milestonesand accomplishments:q Helping the hospital’s number of inpatient daysthrough facilities and services grow from 155,669(1994) to 216,590 (2012)q Helping the hospital grow net revenue by 895percent in the past 25 years (1987 to 2012)q Working with state legislators to approve the

formation of the MUHA (2000), which allowedthe medical center to enhance its revenues, reduceexpenditures and use efficienciesq Establishing MUSC Excellence (2006)q Reorganizing clinical services to 11 service lines(2008)q Opening of Ashley River Tower (2008)q Providing capital improvements in the renovation of21 operating rooms and two emergency roomsq Leading the medical center in receiving awardsincluding: University Healthsystem Consortium RisingStar Award, National Research Corporation’s Hospitalof Choice Award, U.S. News & World Report’s BestHospitals Ranked in Specialties (cardiology & heartsurgery, ENT, gastroenterology and nephrology), U.S.News & World Report Best Hospital in S.C. & Top 25percent (13 clinical areas), U.S. News & World Report’sBest Doctors, National Cancer Institute-designatedcancer center, Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Score“A” rating for patients, and HealthCare’s Most WiredHospitals by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine

Clinical operations VP, executivedirector retires after 40 years

Stuart Smith receives South Carolina’s Order ofthe Palmetto award at a board of trustees dinner.Joining him is his wife, Barbara.

I have great respect forStuart. He embodiesintegrity and values. Lastfall, I presented Stuartwith a commemorativebaseball bat and itemswelcoming him toThe Studer Group’s“Healthcare Hall ofFame.” Stuart’s heartand values lay there aswell as with MUSC.Every day he went to batto make MUSC a betterplace for employees,volunteers, physicians,patients and families.—Quint Studer, President and CEO, The Studer Group

Much of S.C. Hospital Association’s (SCHA)success in improving quality and patient safety canbe attributed to the strong foundation laid down byboard members like Stuart Smith. From improvingthe patient experience to progressing critical qualityinitiatives, Stuart has dedicated his life to makingSouth Carolina’s health systems more efficient andeffective.—Thornton Kirby, President and CEO, SCHA

Stuart has been intimately involved in the extensiveexpansion and renovation of the medical center’s

facilities. He spearheaded the first comprehensivelong-term clinical enterprise strategic plan in theearly 1990s, and this plan was recently updated totake MUSC into the future. Stuart has led by hisbehaviors, not his words. He has taken care of peoplewho take care of people. He implemented a culturaltransformation through MUSC Excellence. Stuart hasfulfilled his mission in an exemplary fashion.—James B. Edwards, DMD, President Emeritus, MUSC

Stuart Smith accomplished a great deal duringhis 40 years at MUSC. Under his leadership, thehospital authority was established, MUSC Excellencetransformed our patient satisfaction and qualitymeasures, and the Ashley River Tower was designed,financed, constructed and occupied. Stuart’s greatestlegacy, however, is who he is as a person – caring,honest, sincere, patient and loyal. We are all gratefulfor the opportunity to have worked with him.—Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., MUSC President

Stuart’s greatest accomplishment during his tenure isthe construction of Ashley River Tower. It took a lot ofguts to do that at a time when the institution struggledfinancially, but he had the foresight and vision toknow that was the right thing to do. He pushedforward in spite of many of us trying to convince himotherwise.—Lisa P. Montgomery, VP for Finance and Administration

I’d like to thank Stuart for his many years of excellent

service to MUSC. He has been a committed leader forthis institution for many years, and we owe him a hugedebt of gratitude for his tireless service. On a personalnote, I have greatly enjoyed working with Stuart andwill miss having him as a colleague.—Etta D. Pisano, M.D., VP for Medical Affairs and Deanof the College of Medicine

When I look around and see the many employeesStuart’s mentored and guided through the years,one can see how he’s impacted how health care isdelivered throughout South Carolina. Many of ourformer employees who have gone on to work in healthcare in other states and institutions have utilizedthe leadership skills that he’s taught. He really has

Stuart Smith, left, joins Hal Curry andDr. Howard Evert during the opening ofAshley River Tower in 2008.Smith receives a

commemorative bat.

See sMiTh on page 7


impacted health care throughout thestate.—Annette Drachman, J.D., Legal Affairs

I’ve worked with Stuart for 22 years. Inthe 1990s, when I arrived to becomethe College of Medicine dean, then—hospital director, Charlene Stuart,Stuart Smith and I got together tocreate a hospital strategic plan. Weaccomplished that, and it is one of themonumental things that has happenedto this institution. It’s been an honorto work with Stuart throughout thesemany years.—Layton McCurdy, M.D., Dean Emeritus,College of Medicine

I've admired Stuart for more than20 years. As a former health care“marketer,” Stuart was not the norm.He was (and continues to be) a “quietdoer.” His humility and respectfulnature meant that he didn't sound hisown gong, but rather deflected praiseand recognition to others. Bright,accomplished, and very thoughtful, he'sleft a huge legacy at MUSC.—David McNair, Excellence

One of Stuart’s greatestaccomplishments is bringing aboardMUSC Excellence, which, to me, reallytransformed the culture here. He’sleaving that legacy for us at MUSC.—Marilyn Schaffner, Ph.D., R.N., ClinicalServices Administrator and Chief NursingOfficer

I think the MUSC Excellence Program

has done wonders for our academicmedical center, our patients, facultyand employees. I want to thank Stuartfor adopting MUSC Excellence.—Dave Neff, Ambulatory Care Services

Stuart gave me my first opportunity asa resident more than 30 years ago and,before that, as a Citadel undergraduatestudent exploring the field of hospitaladministration. Stuart has been anoutstanding mentor and great friend.—Al Nesmith, Safety, Security, Volunteer &Guest Services

Stuart has had to juggle the demandsthat come with having to work withour complicated health care system.Balancing all of this is a significant,praise-worthy accomplishment.—Steve Hargett, Chief Financial Officer

Stuart has always focused on patientcare and what’s best for the patient. Ifyou look around at the organizationover the last 30 years and compare itto where we are now, it’s an incrediblechange. The way we serve ourcommunity is so much different thanwhat it used to be.—John Sanders, Children’s Hospital

Stuart’s been an extraordinaryand skillful guide through manytransformations in health careincluding our journey with theelectronic health record. Thank you foryour vision, wisdom and leadership.—Bob Warren, M.D., Chief MedicalInformation Officer and Professor ofPediatrics

sMiTh Continued from Page Six

Stuart Smith, center, hosted a number of hospital administrativeresidents during his tenure.

Nominations for diversityawards being accepted

MUSC’s Office of Student Diversityis accepting nominations for the Earl B.Higgins Award 2013.

Nominations are being acceptedfor the Earl B. Higgins Achievementin Diversity Award and the StudentLeadership in Diversity Award.Nominees should be individualswho have contributed significantly todiversity. Nominations must includethe nomination form and two letters ofendorsement for each nomination. Allsubmissions should be received by Feb. 1to [email protected]. For information,visit http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/diversity/higgins.html.


MUSC wins gold with stroke awards

The MUSC medical center received the AmericanHeart Association/American Stoke Association’sGet with the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus QualityAchievement Award. This achievement recognizesMUSC’s commitment in providing exceptional care forstroke patients based on evidence-based strategies andguidelines

MUSC is among several dozen hospitals to achievean 85 percent or higher adherence to Get with theGuidelines stroke quality achievement indicators fortwo or more 12-month intervals and to achieve 75percent or higher compliance with six of 10 strokequality measures.

The award reflects the collaborative work of MUSC’sComprehensive Stroke & Cerebrovascular Centerand multidisciplinary teams of physicians, nursesand technologists. This effort was led by ChristineHolmstedt, D.O., medical director of the clinical strokeservices, and Shelly Ozark, M.D., stroke neurologist,as well as a team of neuroradiology, neurosurgery,neurology and emergency medicine physicians whospecialize in stroke care and related disorders.

Ozark worked with staff to reduce the door-to-needletime from the nationally recommended 60 minutesor less to receive thrombolytic therapy to improve

outcomes for stoke patients. In spring 2012, MUSCteams averaged 78 minutes. Now, stroke team membersare successfully treating patients at an average of 33minutes. To celebrate this, Ozark distributed brain lapelpins to emergency department and CT technicians fortheir hard work and helping to “save a brain.”

“Time lost is brain lost with stroke. The sooner wecan treat a patient, the better they are likely to havegood outcomes. During a stroke, brain cells die at a rateof 2 million cells per minute. Every minute wasted is aminute too long,” Ozark said.

In addition to the national award, MUSC wasa recipient of the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, forimproving stroke care. For information, visit http://www.muschealth.com/stroke/.

Dr. Shelly Ozark, right, awards CT techniciansLori Myers, left, and Corrine Doherty, with theirlapel achievement pins.

By Cindy ABole

Public Relations


Healthat workSusan Johnson

K icking the cigarette smoking habitis the single biggest improvement to

health a smoker canmake.

In addition to thelong list of healthrisks associated withsmoking, MUSCemployees covered bya state health plan feelan additional financialburden beyond thehigh cost of cigarettes.A tobacco-usersurcharge adds anadditional $40 to $60per month to healthinsurance premiums, depending oncoverage.

There are resources available toemployees who are ready to make thedecision to quit and are looking for help.

Beginning Jan. 25 and runningthrough Aug. 1, MUSC employees andstudents may take advantage of a freetobacco-cessation program. Participantswill receive a voucher for a free one-month supply of nicotine-replacementtherapy or a one-month starter supplyof prescription medication used forsmoking cessation as recommended by aphysician.

Vouchers for medications must beredeemed at MUSC pharmacies or theMUSC Department of Family Medicine.Pharmacists will discuss health historyand medications to screen for potentialinteractions before selecting a productthat is right for you.

To register, visit http://www.musc.edu/employee wellness.

Here are some additional resources:q Quit for Life – A professionally

trained quit coach works with theindividual to create a personalized quitplan. The participant may call the Quitfor Life toll-free support line as often asneeded. Participants receive a quit guideand five telephone calls from a coach.For more information, visit https://www.quitnow.net/scstatehealthplan/ProgramLookup/EnrollNow.q Pharmacy counseling is availableat http://www.muschealth.com/prescriptionrefill/.q MUSC tobacco-free campusinformation can be found at www.musc.edu/tobaccofree.

Employee Wellness eventsq Chair massages: Free massages areoffered to employees on Tuesday nightsand midday Wednesdays. Look forbroadcast messages for locations andtimes.q Zumba at Harborview Office Tower:Join licensed Zumba instructor FeleciaCurry for a weekly Wednesday nightZumba class held in Room 302, HOT.Email [email protected] for informationor to register.q Charlestowne Landing: OnFeb. 2 and 3, Tri-county residentswill receive half-price admission toCharlestowne Landing.

MUSC Urban Farmq Families are encouraged to participatein a Work & Learn session from 9 to 11a.m., Feb. 2.q Early bird maintenance: Maintenancewon the farm will be held from 7:30 to8:30 a.m., Jan. 30.

Email [email protected] forinformation about the Office of HealthPromotions at MUSC.

Employee Wellness


Georgia, Arizona, Texas and Ohio. Two medical schoolstudents joined Relle from New York. They all had thesame mission: to help save children with congenitalheart defects through surgery and to train local nurses,physicians and perfusionists to take care of patientsfrom start to finish.

“In addition to saving children’s lives, the Peruvianmedical team was taught how to diagnose the problem,perform the surgery and provide follow-up care withpatients,” Sievert said. “It’s a two-fold goal.”

The patients are selected by HCI officials based onthe difficulty of their required surgery and the ability toteach a technique that the Peruvian surgeons had neverseen before. But the trip wasn’t just about making thePeruvians more proficient.

“Here, in the U.S., we rely a lot on technology forthings I would take for granted — we have level detectorsand bubble alarms, those are things that affect patientcare. Over there we didn’t have those things,” Rellesaid. “Over there you have to think ‘what am I goingto do, how am I going to build it and where am I goingto put things?’ If something went wrong in the states,I could now adjust it with a more ready and creativemind.”

That kind of hands-on experience and interactionwith poverty-stricken patients is why Sievert, who hasnow been on five HCI mission trips, requested to bringa perfusion student along.

“It was both humbling and moving that we were ableto help all of these children so freely,” Sievert said.“Helping one child is helping a family and all theirfriends who care for this sick child. To be able to sharethat with a student was the best part for me.”

Alicia Sievert, an MUSC pediatric perfusionistand a former assistant professor in the Collegeof Health Professions, said the best part of thetrip was being able to share the experience witha student.

Perfusionists — medical professionals that run theheart-lung bypass machine during heart surgeries —are rare in Third World countries. There are only 12perfusionists in Peru, while there are roughly 3,500 inthe United States, according to Relle.

“Sometimes we’d find ourselves using medical tape toput things together,” Relle said. “Going away to anothercountry answers the question, ‘What could I do ifsomething stopped working?’”

Other parts of the trip were also unconventional forthe pair.

After eating breakfast at the hotel each morning, theHCI group piled onto a bus and rode to the hospital.How they got there and back was a secret that only thedriver knew.

“It’s a bunch of wealthy Americans wearing whitecoats on a bus,” Sievert said. “So, they never take thesame route to the hospital because they’re afraid thatsomeone is going to hijack the bus.”

Armed guards were stationed at the front of thehospital and certain places were surrounded bycinderblock walls with broken glass on top to keep outtrespassers. But overall, Sievert and Relle said they feltsafe.

“Peru was a very clean country and everyone had a lotof Peruvian pride,” Sievert said. In addition to takingcare of patients, the group visited several cathedrals andcatacombs. Sievert also went to Machu Picchu beforeleaving on Oct. 30, 2012.

“I’ll go back to Peru in a heartbeat. It was a humblingexperience. The Peruvians come from a lot less,” Rellesaid. “I was amazed at what they can do there with whatthey have. If they can perform cardiac surgery with nextto nothing than they’re pretty amazing people.”

Mission Continued from Page One

Second-year MUSC perfusion student MargaretRelle uses medical tape to maintain parts of theheart-lung bypass machine.


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The CATAlysT, January 25, 2013

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