GIVING FOR THE GLOBAL GOOD
Michael Levy, MD, PhD, a pediatric neurosurgeon and chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Rady Children’s and a professor and board-certified neurosurgeon at UC San Diego, joined a panel of experts speaking to a techie crowd about medical, surgical and forensic applications of 3D printing and extended (virtual/ augmented) reality—just one of the many areas in which Dr. Levy is well-versed and eager to discuss. While this speaking engagement was just a short jaunt down the freeway from Rady Children’s, Dr. Levy is no stranger to taking his field knowledge to much farther destinations. In fact, for decades, he has donned his surgical superhero attire and traveled abroad to bring pediatric education to countries in need. From Latin America to Africa, Dr. Levy and a neurosurgical colleague regularly travel the globe, helping establish quality pediatric care in underserved and indigenous communities. “Our goal is to establish relationships with divisions of neurosurgery elsewhere. This a five-, 10- or 15-year effort—it’s not just flying there, doing 10 cases and flying home,” Dr. Levy explains. “It is a long- term approach to building programs and working with motivated and talented people who just don’t have all the resources we do.”
The last week in July every year, Downtown San Diego transforms into superhero central, where regular Joes and Janes don capes and costumes and mix and mingle with celebrities at the annual Comic-Con International. This year, one Rady Children’s physician proved the adage that “not all heroes wear capes” as he represented his superpower: pediatric neurosurgery.
22 HEALTHY KIDS MAGAZINE FALL 2023
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