Second year UNMC Clinical Perfusion student Kate Fread recently received the American Society of Extracorporeal Technology Perfusion Without Borders Scholarship and traveled to Oraifite, Nigeria, with the VOOM Foundation. Here, she describes her experience:
It was an incredible opportunity. Over six days, our team completed 19 cardiac surgeries, providing much-needed care to patients in the community.
The VOOM Foundation is doing amazing work to expand access to healthcare in Nigeria. Beyond the operating room, they also provided free health screenings and education to approximately 600 community members. Being surrounded by such hardworking and compassionate people, all dedicated to helping others, was one of the most inspiring parts of this experience.
From a perfusion student standpoint, this trip challenged me in the best way. Working with different heart-lung machines, circuit setups, and limited resources pushed me to think critically, troubleshoot, and trust my knowledge. I was especially grateful for the hands-on training I received at UNMC, where our perfusion faculty emphasized building circuits from scratch and learning on old and new equipment. Those skills proved incredibly valuable in such a different and adaptable environment. I also had the privilege of learning from an amazing group of perfusionists, including Ose Aligbe, Johnson Anthony, and Dagim Adane, whose knowledge and resourcefulness taught me so much.
Some days stretched close to 20 hours, but when you’re surrounded by people giving so much of themselves to help others, you want to do the same. I came home with a new level of confidence, an even greater appreciation for this profession, and so much motivation for the rest of my career. I am incredibly grateful to the Perfusion Without Borders Committee for making this possible, to the VOOM Foundation for welcoming me, and to the UNMC perfusion faculty for preparing me for an opportunity like this. I hope it’s only the beginning of my involvement in global cardiac care!
