Articles
The journal of Bone & Joint Surgery vol. 102 – february 2020
Scalpel At The Cross was featured in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery in December of 2019. The Article was written by Bradley Lezak, Peter Cole Jr., Lisa K. Schroder, and Peter A. Cole. The article talks about how musculoskeletal disorders and injuries represent a substantial proportion of the global burden of disease. This burden is particularly prevalent in low and middle-income countries that already have insufficient health-care resources. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the vision, the history, the implementation, and the challenges in establishing an orthopaedic surgical mission in a developing nation to help address the epidemic of musculoskeletal trauma.
Rebuttal to Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery Article
The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery allows a platform for fellow colleagues to respond to articles within their publication. Dr. Eric Gokcen is an associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University. Dr. Gokcen wrote a response to the article titled, “The Development of a Surgical Mission in the Peruvian Amazon: A 15-Year Expedition”.
The Development of a Surgical Mission in The Peruvian Amazon: Visions, Challenges, and Accomplishments in a 15-Year Odyssey
Peter A. Cole, Jr presented a paper in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Health Administration Degree in the Miami Business School. As a son of founder Dr. Peter Cole and Nancy Cole, Peter Jr had a first hand account of the incredible impact of Scalpel At The Cross. As his education progressed and he decided to pursue a master’s in health administration his final thesis project was a no-brainer.
The journal of Bone & Joint Surgery vol. 98 – february 2016
Dr. Torchia describes a follow-up program for patients undergoing surgical procedures with documented results from short-term surgical mission trips to the developing world. The surgical procedures were all performed at a government hospital in Pucallpa, Peru, a remote city in the Amazon. He concluded It is possible to develop a sustainable surgical patient follow-up program with robust results and to achieve acceptable outcomes for orthopaedic conditions, even in an austere medical environment.
Oregon Journal of Orthopaedics Vol. 3 May 2014
On Page 26 Dr. Dustin Larson published an article titled, “Orthopaedic Surgery in the Peruvian Amazon” that highlights his volunteer experience with Scalpel At The Cross. Dr. Dustin Larson completed his undergraduate studies in economics and started a career in the timber and technical industries. He went on to study and train in aviation, but still had a desire to do something more. Inspired by his brother Loren, a local orthopaedic surgeon, he began a career in health care in several roles before he knew medicine, and particularly surgery, was the opportunity to translate all of his life experiences into a meaningful and fulfilling career.
The Need of the Hour: The Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Call to Advance Medical Missions
Dr. William (Cody) Sessions is a 4th year resident at the University of Minnesota Medical School who has volunteered alongside Scalpel for the past three years. Dr. Sessions led grand rounds on March 19th, 2021 in front of hundreds of colleagues on the importance of Medical Missions. By day he mends broken bones and by night he trains and loves to do extreme sports. In 2018 Dr. Sessions was featured in NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. Growing up he snowboarded competitively and loves the great outdoors.