SOPANOP Travel Award: Dr. Adriana Velasco y Levy

My name is Adriana Velasco and I am an oculoplastic ophthalmologist who graduated in 2018 from the Instituto Conde de Valenciana and formed by Dr. José Luis Tovilla and his team. Through SOPANOP / Allergan I was awarded a scholarship this year to do an internship with Dr. Galatoire at the Rothschild Foundation in Paris, which I did throughout the month of July of this year.

My activities during my internship were to accompany Dr. Galatoire and his entire medical-surgical team at patient consultations, as well as observe the surgeries and attend the meetings of the medical staff where they discussed difficult cases and surgeries of the week.

The hospital activities started at 8:30 am Monday through Friday and had a morning and evening schedule.. Meals were taken within the facilities of the same hospital in the cafeteria.

Every day there were surgeries in the operating rooms, so I liked to be at least half the day observing the different surgical techniques, which are very varied since the hospital is a center of concentration of all France as well as the islands that depend on it. I spent the rest of the day in the consultation accompanying Dr. Galatoire and his team to the review of first-time, subsequent patients as well as pre and post-surgical.

In my sub specialty, my rotation during the month of July at the Rotchschild Foundation was wonderful. It helped me to know how the oculoplastics develops in another country where besides having a different language and culture also have greater infrastructure and economic resources than Mexico.

The diseases and surgical techniques are the same, but the way to approach them and the economic resources for diagnosis and treatment can vary greatly from one country to another.

There were also surgeries and procedures for which I was not trained that served as learning to start applying them in my country and with our patients.
The experience was enriching in many aspects, since all the doctors and hospital staff gave me a pleasant and warm stay. I greatly thank Dr. Galatoire and his team, as well as Allergan / PAAO / SOPANOP for giving me the opportunity to live this incredible experience.

Adriana Velasco y Levy

**Dr. Adriana Velasco (Mexico City, Mexico) received one of the 2019 SOPANOP Travel Awards. Click here for more information and requirements to apply for this award. The deadline to apply is November 10. **