Shree Chanchani, MD, has dedicated 13 years of volunteer efforts toward performing fistula repair surgeries, training local surgical teams, and reinforcing safe, obstetric care practices in Rwanda.
Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury that occurs when prolonged, obstructed labor without timely access to a cesarean section creates a hole between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum. The result is continual urine or stool leakage for women with this injury, accompanied by severe social, physical, and emotional consequences.
Dr. Chanchani, a KPSOM Global Health Faculty Member and Kaiser Permanente obstetrician-gynecologist, works with the International Organization for Women’s Development—a nonprofit that partners with Rwandan hospitals and the Rwandan Ministry of Health—in this effort and she plans to return to Rwanda in October 2025.
“Fistula is a health issue and a human rights issue,” said Dr. Chanchani. She added, “No woman should suffer lifelong disability from childbirth. Although Rwanda has made tremendous progress, there’s still a shortage of surgeons who are trained to provide safe cesarean section delivery and complex pelvic repairs.”
Dr. Chanchani’s work in Rwanda is aimed at providing her patients quality healthcare, particularly those in underserved communities globally who have limited access to equitable care.
Learn more about Dr. Chanchani’s work here .
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