Expanding Medical Knowledge Across the Globe

The experiences international observers have at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia allow clinicians from countries across the globe to make incredible changes in their own countries.

Dharmagat Bhattarai, MD, an immunologist from Nepal, recently completed a three-month observership with CHOP’s Division of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Bhattarai’s goal is to create the first bone marrow transplant center in his country. This inspired him to observe the work being done at CHOP. He was impressed by the advanced work and number of patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. The large patient volume gave him the opportunity to see a variety of illnesses and tests being done to treat them. Dr. Bhattarai’s observership allowed him to see complex cases he hadn’t seen before, learn different aspects of a bone marrow transplant, and improve his existing expertise while making connections with CHOP faculty and staff in his field.

Now, Dr. Bhattarai feels more prepared to continue seeking his dream and work to create the first bone marrow transplant center in Nepal. As a physician trained in bone marrow transplantation, he hopes to be one of the first immunology specialists in Nepal to make this kind of care accessible to patients in his country.

Pictured is Dharmagat Bhattarai, MD, (far right), along with four other international observers at CHOP, medical student Isabela Mota de Almeida (Brazil-General Pediatrics), Ching-Yu Wang, MD (Taiwan-Rheumatology), Nina Ristic, MD (Serbia-GI), and medical student Maria Daniela Olaya Galindo (Colombia-General Pediatrics).