Surgeon helped volunteers treat patients in Nepal

TORRINGTON — Dr. Jennifer A. D’Amico, a fellowship-trained podiatric surgeon at Litchfield Hills Orthopedic Associates, and a volunteer team of medical professionals recently provided free medical and surgical coverage for local adult and pediatric patients in Nepal this April. This trip was D’Amico’s eighth medical mission through the organization Healing the Children.

D’Amico and her team screened a total of 109 patients, provided 12 patients with custom braces, delivered 15 injections for pain relief and performed over 50 surgeries on 20 patients during the six-day mission trip.

Many of these surgeries were performed to treat common conditions, such as traumatic injuries, clubfoot and other foot deformities. To offer care and surgery free of cost to patients, donors and volunteers funded the cost of the travel and all medical and surgical expenses, including anesthesia services, medications, labs, imaging studies and other supplies.

D’Amico organized the support staff for this mission trip, and Healing the Children has partnered with Nepal Orthopaedic Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, for more than 10 years. As with previous missions, local doctors and surgeons were invited to observe and participate during evaluation and treatment to facilitate the exchange

of expertise with local health providers.

“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to bring my training and expertise to patients in need and work with the doctors and staff at Nepal Orthopaedic Hospital, performing surgeries and sharing techniques,” D’Amico said in a statement. “This was my eighth trip with Healing the Children, and I have been honored to serve so many patients through this organization. Our patients keep me coming back. Monitoring their progress and making sure they heal well and are happy is my greatest joy.”

As a fellowship-trained foot and ankle surgeon,D’Amico specializes in the treatment of injuries and conditions of the lower extremity, including arthritis, flatfoot, fracture care, pediatric foot and ankle deformities, trauma and wound care. She received her medical degree from New York College of Podiatric Medicine in New York City and later completed her residency at Scripps Mercy Hospital and Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Diego. D’Amico also completed a fellowship in limb lengthening and reconstruction at The Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore as well as a surgical trauma fellowship at Inselspital University in Bern, Switzerland.

D’Amico serves as a Healing the Children chapter leader. Healing the Children is a charitable organization focused on helping underserved children around the world. The organization has 16 chapters nationwide and has been in existence for 40 years.

Contributed photo Dr. Jennifer A. D’Amico, a fellowship-trained podiatric surgeon at Litchfield Hills Orthopedic Associates, and a volunteer team of medical professionals recently provided free medical and surgical coverage for local adult and pediatric patients in Nepal in April. She is shown with several small patients and a parent at the clinic.