International Rotations for Residents
Vishal Bhalani, MD, travels to Tanzania
The flexible curriculum of the Department’s Residency Program allows for enhanced experiences including the option for international electives. International electives add a valuable educational experience for our residents and at the same time assist areas of the world in need of medical help. 
This past year, fifth year resident, Vishal Bhalani, MD, traveled to Tanzania, located in eastern Africa, to complete his elective rotation.
Dr. Bhalani worked in the coastal region of Dar es Salaam, at Muhumbili National Hospital, a large institution with 1500 beds and employing 300 doctors/specialists and 900 nurses. 
Over 1,000 patients visit the hospital each week.including approximately 75 Urology patients who are seen on a first come, first serve basis for a range of urologic conditions Dr. Bhalani found restricted treatment options for the patientsand few modern medical advantages.
Bladder cancer, specifically, is of major concern in this region, in part due to a phenomenon known as “male menstruation”. Young men who start working in rice fields around puberty are susceptible to acquiring schistosomiasis, resulting in hematuria, which unknowing locals relate to the male version of a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Left untreated, the condition results in bladder cancer and constitutes 80% of the cancer cases found in this region.
Dr. Bhalani formed close bonds with the people he worked alongside and returned to Northwestern with a new appreciation for global health needs.
