Training Leaders in Pediatric Cardiology: Dr. Franciele Regiane Rohden
Throughout 2023, Paraguayan Dr. Franciele Regiane Rohden from the General Pediatric Hospital “Niños de Acosta Ñu” obtained a six-months-training on Pediatric Cardiovascular Imaging at the Gregorio Marañón General University Hospital, Madrid – Spain, provided by Surgeons of Hope and by the support of Dr. Nancy Garay, Dr. Constancio Medrano, Dr. Enrique Maroto and Dr. Fernando Ballesteros. Among diverse subjects, her training included Outpatient rotations where clinical consultation and transthoracic echocardiography of patients who came to the service for the first time was performed, or patients with already established cardiological diagnoses who came for review, either for clinical control or to enter the list of procedures, surgery and/or diagnostic or therapeutic catheterization. She also carried out an internship in transesophageal echocardiography in the Pediatric Hemodynamics laboratory as well as rotations in the Fetal Echocardiography laboratory and Magnetic Resonance and Computed Tomography service. All the above would certainly come to accomplish the training’s main objectives of improving team coordination, offering comprehensive care to patients, and supporting the doctor’s skills in terms of the various procedures that are carried out daily at General Pediatric Hospital “Niños de Acosta Ñu”. According to Doctora Franciele Regiane, “The attending cardiologists showed willingness and camaraderie in sharing their knowledge and providing their teachings to me and the other residents who rotate in the service. I always felt a very familiar and comfortable environment working with patients and co-workers”. We are deeply excited to see how her acquired knowledge will improve cardiology services in general.
Our newest team member: Diana Chinchilla!
At Surgeon of Hope, we have some great news to share. It’s with pleasure that we announce Diana Chinchilla has recently joined our team as Operations and Missions Director. Based in Costa Rica, one of the countries where we hold a long-time history of successful missions, Diana has a solid professional journey working as commercial and operations manager for brands such as Life Fitness or Salvatore Ferragamo. In the last few years, in addition to her master’s degree in marketing and advertising, she’s been specializing on project management’s methodology. According to her “My main contribution to Surgeons of Hope will rely on strategic thinking, fundraising diversity, storytelling and a better knowledge of our audience and children”. A great fan of gardening and mothering a 4-year-old son, for many years, she’s shared her spare time to different local communities where she supports social programs. Currently, she’s leading a personal project to collect 200 Christmas presents for a rural marginalized neighborhood this December. We wish her a full accomplishment. We’re certain that our patients, medical staff, donors, partners, interns, general staff, will be delighted to work with Diana. Please feel free to contact her by email at [email protected]
Cocktails for A Cause! A Resounding Success
Exactly one week has passed since Surgeons of Hope proudly proudly hosted Cocktails for a Cause, a fundraising event dedicated to celebrating the people who make our mission possible and witnessing the positive impact we bring to the lives of the children we support. Our night was filled with much enjoyment at the Ivy Terrace, where guests basked in the perfect weather while relishing specialty cocktails and indulging in delectable hors d’oeuvres. The evening’s highlights included the exhilarating live auctions, a silent auction featuring amazing experiences and wonderful art by the Student Arts League, and, most importantly, a compelling look back at our work over the past year through a touching video presentation. We were privileged to host Ambassador Carlos Alberto Ortíz, the UN representative from Paraguay, at our event. Thanks to the remarkable achievements of our live and silent auctions, along with the live ask segment, we successfully met our goal to receive a generous matching donation from our former board member and steadfast supporter, Michael Katz. The funds raised and the valuable connections established have brought us a significant step closer to ensuring that children with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) in Latin America receive the vital care they need. Our heartfelt gratitude extends to our dedicated board members, the event committee, our enthusiastic volunteers, sponsors, and most importantly, to the children and families we serve. They have entrusted us with the care of their children, and we remain committed to our mission.
