S03E11: Campaign 52: International Humanitarian Relief with Dr. Anna Spivak
About this episode
Dr. Sharon L. Stein interviews Dr. Anna Spivak about Campaign 52, an initiative providing surgical care to women in Kenya suffering from obstructed labor.
In rural, underserved areas of Kenya, a lack of access to timely cesarean sections leaves young women vulnerable to the trauma of obstructed labor. Beyond the tragic loss of the child, the resulting prolonged pressure on pelvic organs causes severe tissue necrosis and the formation of vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas. Leaking urine and stool continuously, these women are often heavily stigmatized and ostracized by their communities. In this episode, Dr. Sharon L. Stein sits down with Dr. Anna Spivak , Section Chief of Pelvic Floor Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, to discuss Campaign 52 —an international medical relief initiative providing free, life-altering surgical care to these vulnerable women. Unlike top-down, Western-driven mission trips, Campaign 52 operates at the explicit request and direction of local Kenyan surgeons. Dr. Spivak shares how this collaborative, local-first framework allows a specialized task force of colorectal, gynecologic, and urologic surgeons to tackle an overwhelming backlog of complex pelvic floor conditions, directly target the exact procedural needs of the community, and systematically build lasting hospital infrastructure. Global Surgery…
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