Dr Graham Gumley has been instrumental in outreach and teaching. In 1994 and again in 1996 Dr Gumley was part of HOPE worldwide medical team sent to India to provide medical advice and surgical treatment at the Village of HOPE, an early HOPE Worldwide initiative.
In 1997 Dr Gumley led his family of 5 to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to help start the Sihanouk Hospital Centre of HOPE and create its surgical department and training scheme. In 1998 he was appointed the hospital Director and in his six years serving there, until 2003, worked tirelessly to provide outstanding free medical care to all who needed it and established the Sihanouk Hospital Centre of HOPE as one of Cambodia’s premiere centres of medical and surgical excellence. Graham was the Chairman of the Board for HOPE worldwide Australia from 2010 to 2020,
Dr Gumley has led international, AHSS supported, teams to Cambodia each year until the COVID restrictions intervened and in addition has joining outreach teams to Indonesia, PNG and Africa. Other AHSS surgeons who have joined Dr Gumley and have given their time and expertise on Cambodian trips include Doctors Damian Ryan, Nick Smith, Jennifer Green, Mark Allison, Damian Ireland, David Graham and David Stewart. Hand therapists have included Anne Wajon and Cathy Merry and Marin Suzuki.
Trips have included formal teaching at the university of surgical registrars, clinic reviews (including following up patients from previous trips), assisting the local surgeons and registrars operating and leading the surgery on complex cases. A highlight has been the collaboration the many international colleagues who have joined the teams, including Prof. Neil Jones (ASSH and UCLA), Roongsak Limthongthang (Thailand), Prof. Jagdeep Nanchalhal (University of Oxford), Ulrich Mennen. The invaluable integration with Hand Therapists has included participation and hand therapy teams led by Rosemary Prosser, Anne Wajon, Cathy Merry, Judith Morin, Marin Suzuki and Kylie Flynn.
Figure 4: The surgical and therapy team. Prof. Neil Jones. (ASSH), David Graham, Graham Gumley, Anne Wajon (AHTA/IFSHT), Cathy Merry (AHTA), Susan Ryan, Suzanne Gumley, Damian Ryan, Nick Smith.
Graham Gumley teaching Microsurgery to local surgeons in Cambodia.
Figure 6: Cambodian theatres with Asst Prof Ry Sina
Planning the surgical program of the day. There were 36 surgeries performed during this 2014 visit, including free flaps and brachial plexus reconstruction.
Figure 7: A team approach, during the post-operative assessment, and review of surgical wounds. Dr Nick Smith, Cathy Merry (hand therapist) and local surgeon.
Figure 8: Clinical Assessment by Hand therapist Anne Wajon, with local surgeon looking on.
Figure 9: One of the Outpatient clinics where 130 patients were reviewed and assessed, during the 2014 visit. Cathy Merry, Nick Smith and David Stewart.
Hand Therapy & Administrative Support
The success of any hand surgery is dependent on expert hand therapy. Skilled hand therapists can also manage many conditions non-surgically and optimise patients for surgery when required. We have been fortunate to be joined on many outreach trips by amazing hand therapists who have also taught, treated, and motivated local surgeons and therapists. These include Rosemary Prosser, Anne Wajon, Cathy Merry, Marin Suzuki, Natalia Alfaro, Stacey Fritsch and Jade Wong.
The role of the supportive administration team on these trips should also not be understated. There is a tremendous amount of planning and coordination that goes into every trip, particularly organising teaching, lectures, venues, practical labs (including microsurgery, suturing workshops, tendon repair workshops etc), and the AHSS also would like to acknowledge everyone who has worked so hard to make these possible.
