NEW NEUROSURGICAL PROGRAM UNDERWAY

We are thrilled to announce an impactful chapter in our journey with the birth of "Iohan Saul Neurosurgical Initiative," an official, new arm of POP.

The Iohan Saul Neurosurgical Initiative (ISNI) isn't just a program—it's a heartfelt promise to illuminate a brighter tomorrow. Born and officially registered in the heart of Indiana, this initiative stands as a testament to the power of unity between Pediatric Orthopedic Project, and the Dominican, doctors, nurses and medical staff it has collaborated with since its inception in 2012.

Named in honor of the five-year-old son of our esteemed colleague, spine surgeon, Dr. Iohan Fernandez, who tragically passed suddenly on July 18, 2023 from a ruptured aneurysm of the brain, the Iohan Saul Neurosurgical Initiative has as its primary goal to improve and even save the lives of adults and children with neurosurgical conditions as a legacy of Iohan Saul and those who miss him dearly.

We were able to kickstart this program in the March 2024 Mission Trip, when part of our team operated on 11 adults with long-standing neurosurgical conditions like herniated discs and spinal stenosis in Hospital Jose Maria Cabral y Baez in Santiago, Dominican Republic. This is the first time we operate in this facility and all patients had excellent results. The amazing part is that these neurosurgeries were performed at no extra cost to us through a collaboration with our Dominican colleagues and because those involved in executing them were already going to be on the trip. The surgeries were performed by Dr. Richard B Rodgers (neurosurgeon), Catherine Albright (nurse practitioner), both from Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, and Heidi Gruber, certified surgical technologist.

Iohan Saul Neurosurgical Initiative Logo

This was Little Iohan’s last drawing