Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Medical Student Joins Surgical Relief Team
Uncategorized

Medical Student Joins Surgical Relief Team

By medwebFeb 19, 2009
Share
Facebook Twitter Email

Medical Student Joins Surgical Relief Team

Medical student Michael Granieri (left) and patient.

Michael Granieri, a second-year medical student from Chicago, got a head start on his surgical rotation recently when he accompanied Christopher Gonzalez, MD, MBA, associate professor of urology, and medical residents Neema Navai, and Oni Okotie to the tiny village of San Blas, Mexico. There the team attended to 50 patients over two days and performed six urological surgeries, four of them major operations. Functioning as the scrub tech for the group, Granieri saw diseases and abnormalities that he might never have glimpsed otherwise.

While Dr. Gonzalez has been making these surgical relief trips with residents in tow since 2001, Granieri is the first student to accompany him. “He was a big help to us down there,” said Dr. Gonzalez. “It was an outstanding experience for him to see the intensity of being faced with a problem, deciding what to do, and then following up.”

The two got to know each other last summer when Granieri participated in a research program for students just completing their first year of schooling. The medical student expressed interest in Dr. Gonzalez’s cause and asked if he could participate if he found funding. Dr. Gonzalez agreed but every financial assistance opportunity explored by Granieri led nowhere. Luckily, a patient of Dr. Gonzalez’s came to the rescue and picked up the tab for the group of four.

Granieri participated in a trip to Nicaragua after his first year of medical school through NU-AID, a student volunteer organization at the Feinberg School that provides primary medical care to the needy in Latin America and Jamaica. While there he interviewed patients, worked in the pharmacy, and gave public health talks to the locals. This trip inspired him to seek a global health experience in a surgical field, he said. “Repairing major deformities and dramatically improving someone’s quality of life in a matter of hours was very rewarding,” he added. “I loved working in a team setting to help the less fortunate. The patients and their families were so grateful, which made the experience even more special.”

The trip to Mexico was arranged through the non-profit group LIGA International, which flies American medical specialists to Mexico on the first weekend of each month excluding the summer when the temperatures exceed 100 degrees. The local radio station announces the specialty of that month’s physicians. With x-rays and medical records in hand, the patients—all uninsured—often wait in line for hours to be seen. Many travel 8 to 10 hours to see the doctors.

Dr. Gonzalez’s interest in helping the less fortunate was whetted during his 10 years in the U.S. National Guard. In addition to Mexico, his surgical relief trips have included visits to Honduras, China, and Ecuador.

Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Mar 29, 2023

Adolescent Sexual Health Program Receives Funding for Social Marketing Campaign

Mar 29, 2023

Lurie Cancer Center Receives Merit Extension from NCI

Oct 20, 2021

Drug Combination May Reduce Risk of Leukemia Relapse

Mar 26, 2020

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Coaxing Hair Growth in Aging Hair Follicle Stem Cells

Jun 9, 2023

New Therapeutic Target for Osteoarthritis Identified 

Jun 9, 2023

Largest Cell Map of Human Lung Reveals Insights Into Disease

Jun 8, 2023

McNally Honored with Walder Award

Jun 8, 2023

Biological Aging Increases Risk of Depression, Anxiety in Adults 

Jun 7, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
ANB05555
ANB08990
ANB09022
ANB09063
ANB09008
ANB08781
ANB08971
ANB09000
ANB08992
ANB09015
ANB09058
ANB09048

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.