Tae Wuk Ko, MD: University of California, San Diego, Anesthesiology – PGY-4

Zambia: May 2025

 I had the opportunity to travel to the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, one of the largest tertiary public hospitals in the country. During my time there, I was actively involved in teaching local anesthesia residents and assisting with intraoperative patient care.

 My primary focus was on teaching ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks, a skill that local residents have limited exposure to. We performed a wide range of blocks for both surgical anesthesia and postoperative analgesia in cases such as orthopedic surgeries of the upper and lower extremities, ENT procedures, cesarean sections, and gynecologic surgeries. In addition to regional anesthesia, I also assisted with intraoperative anesthetic management, including induction and intubation of patients with anticipated difficult airways, ultrasound-guided IV placement, neuraxial anesthesia, and emergence and extubation.

 Outside the operating room, I delivered a didactic lecture and helped facilitate educational discussions with the residents. By emphasizing teaching over simply performing procedures, I believe our trip contributed to a more sustainable model of global health engagement, with the goal of leaving a lasting impact on both resident education and local patient care.