Ep. 133 Evolving Pediatric Airway Surgery: A Look at Education and Outreach in India with Dr. Deepak Mehta

In this episode of BackTable ENT, Dr. Shah and Dr. Deepak Mehta, pediatric otolaryngologist and director of the complex airway program at Texas Children’s Hospital, discuss Deepak’s work advancing pediatric airway surgery in India. This unique episode addresses the challenges and rewards of building a sustainable global health collaboration. --- SHOW NOTES First, Gopi asks Deepak about his path to global surgery. Deepak’s commitment to surgical education includes his appointment as an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine and role as founder of Csurgeries, the first peer-reviewed platform for surgical videos. Interested in finding a way to contribute to the country where he completed medical school, Deepak built on his experience as an innovator and educator to start an annual course in Bangalore for pediatric ENTs throughout South Asia. From this point, he began building a team of experts to deepen knowledge of pediatric airway surgery in the region. Next, Deepak describes efforts to advance pediatric airway surgery in India. The centerpiece of his efforts remains his annual Bangalore course, which provides live surgical education in both endoscopic and open airway procedures. Patient education represents another important piece: given India’s linguistic diversity, he’s developed a pediatric tracheostomy parent handbook available in multiple different languages. While resources are a challenge to all global surgery efforts, Deepak’s found success using foundation funds to purchase supplies in India. The episode rounds out with an invitation to BackTable listeners to engage with global surgery. Deepak is always looking for new lecturers at his Bangalore course. Benefits accrue to both educators and attendees: by connecting with an international network of surgeons, those involved gain exposure to new surgical approaches and new colleagues. --- RESOURCES Dr. Mehta’s Texas Children’s Hospital profile: https://www.texaschildrens.org/find-a-doctor/deepak-mehta-md Csurgeries: The leading platform for peer-reviewed surgical videos https://csurgeries.com/