Milwaukee VA surgeon chosen for Fulbright program
A Milwaukee VA Medical Center surgeon will be traveling to South America in March to share his medical expertise as part of the prestigious Fulbright Program.
Dr. Michael Malinowski, a vascular surgeon and associate professor of surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin, will travel to Uruguay for an intensive two weeks of instruction and collaboration with the country’s graduate schools and medical schools.
“This is a tremendous project for me to represent as a VA surgeon internationally,” Malinowski said, “I've always loved surgical education, and this is a great opportunity to do this internationally. It's just a great opportunity and a really high honor.”
Malinowski’s time in Montevideo will be spent developing a national curriculum for the schools. “They’re looking for expertise, collaboration and redefining medical education across the country,” he said.
“The technology and the surgical procedures are progressing so quickly that I think it's really hard for under-resourced countries to stay on top of that. And so to provide this exchange is really important.
“(Fulbright) allows an exchange of information so that everyone can really be doing current practices, regardless of what the topic is.”
In addition, Malinowski will be helping to better train the trainers. He said Uruguay has a need for medical faculty development. “They’re trying to train their faculty to be better at teaching across the board,” he said.
But the program is also an exchange, Malinowski said, noting he will delve into Uruguay’s educational experiences “so that I also have things to bring back here,” he said. “That’s an important part of the equation — new collaborations, new research, new growth opportunities for programs and exchanges.”
The 14-day trip includes only one day off, with the other days filled with meetings and panel discussions involving multiple schools.
Malinowski is one of about 200 people throughout the country chosen to be Fulbright Specialists. The specialists represent a variety of fields, from anthropology, education and engineering to business administration, social work and public administration.
The Fulbright program works in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for educational and professional exchanges with about 160 countries.
While most people are familiar with Fulbright Scholars — U.S. students who continue their studies overseas — Fulbright Specialists are professionals who share their expertise with other countries and participate in exchange programs.
“It is really focused,” Malinowski said. “It's meant to be a working professional relationship, to resolve or help to resolve a problem in a host country.”
And it’s not easy to be named a Fulbright Specialist, reflecting the level of professionalism Malinowski brings to the Milwaukee VA and the Veterans he serves.
“It’s a really tough peer review process, so this is a great opportunity,” he said.
And the partnership doesn’t end with the trip. Malinowski said it’s meant to be a multi-year collaboration. He will be part of the Fulbright roster for four years.
Malinowski is no stranger to global health initiatives, having been involved in similar collaborations in Nepal since 2018. Besides traveling to Nepal, Malinowski also participates in regular virtual sessions with his Nepalese counterparts, discussing specific cases and treatment options.
He attributed his love of global outreach to the mentorship of Dr. Philip Redlich, Milwaukee VA’s Division Manager of Surgical Care.
“Dr. Redlich and the MCW Department of Surgery Mentorship committee look at opportunities for junior and mid-level faculty to expand their experience and career paths,” he said.
“It’s great that someone from our VA division of surgical care has achieved this distinction,” Redlich said, saying there is a “great interest in global surgery and global surgical education.”
“Dr. Malinowski will take the skills he’s learned here with the VA and MCW … and potentially affect hundreds of people with respect to medical knowledge and education,” Redlich said. “It’s outreach and international collaboration that will enhance the respect of the United States around the globe.”