Department of Neurosurgery Newsroom 

Neurocritical care is a vital need in many developing countries due to a lack of resources and high rates of infectious diseases. The global neurosurgery neurosurgery team in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine is changing that by helping countries such as Tanzania improve neurosurgical care.

Each year, the CU team travels to the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI) in Tanzania for a two-week visit to provide critical care education through a symposium for physicians and nurses who travel from all over the region to attend—more than 100 participants attended the symposium last year.

Luis Cava, MD, professor of neurosurgery specializing in neurocritical care, leads the visits along with Kevin Lillehei, MD, Ryan Ormond, MD, Evelyn Ongechi, NP, and Marisa Marsolek, PA-C. Next month, the team will include 23 physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and residents in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, radiation oncology, and neuroradiology.

Leading through education and training

The symposium features hands-on training and case demonstrations, including comprehensive nursing lectures that cover topics from management of traumatic brain injury to post-op care at the bedside, and the introduction of an intraoperative ultrasound procedure that helps to bridge diagnostic gaps and improve surgical outcomes.

“At the heart of this work are Dr. Shaffi and the ICU staff and nurses at MOI, whose dedication and leadership are vital to the success and growth of our partnership,” says Marsolek.

Their work has decreased mortality rates and improved infection rates at MOI. Plans are now underway to expand ultrasound guided neurosurgery to Uganda.

“In the next 10 years, our goal is to contribute to a sustainable and resilient neurosurgical critical care model in Tanzania, one that prioritizes multidisciplinary education, supports the development of dedicated neurocritical care nurses, and fosters ongoing mentorship across care teams,” Marsolek says. “This model extends recovery beyond the ICU through coordinated rehabilitation and is grounded in bidirectional knowledge exchange, with Tanzanian teams leading and shaping the future of their own neurocritical care systems.”

Going above and beyond

In addition to the symposium, the team coordinates transportation of neurosurgical equipment, medical supplies, textbooks, and monetary donations to purchase medical devices like shunts for patients with hydrocephalus. Their work ensures that partnering countries get the neurosurgical supplies they so desperately need.

This collaborative partnership in Tanzania was started in 2007 by Lillehei, former chair of the CU Anschutz Department of Neurosurgery.

Now, Cava continues neurosurgical care education in Tanzania by hosting weekly zoom lectures with MOI’s critical care team and monthly journal club with their neurosurgery residents.

Cava, Ongechi, and Marsolek hope to continue their global neurosurgery partnership with MOI in Tanzania and expand their reach to other countries in the need of neurosurgical and neurocritical care. 

"Last year, we donated 11 pediatric shunts to the MOI hydrocephalus ward and welcomed over 100 participants to the MOI conference," says Marsolek. "Today, our ongoing virtual teaching sessions bring together clinicians from multiple African countries, reflecting a shared commitment to collaboration and expanding the impact of neurocritical care education across East Africa."