This past autumn I had the unique opportunity to spend two months on the West Coast and the Gulf Coast of the USA. As part of my medical elective I spent 4 weeks at The Stone Clinic in San Francisco, California, a world renowned centre for orthopaedic surgery, sports medicine and rehabilitation. Dr Stone and his exceptional team provide a holistic approach to musculoskeletal injuries: cutting edge stem cell surgery, comprehensive physiotherapy and extended follow-up. It was apparent from all the patients I spoke to at the clinic and surgery centre how highly they value their mobility and how much faith they had in Dr Stone’s ability to improve their health & quality of life. While I was there I also started a qualitative research project looking at case histories of patients with meniscal allograft revisions, and I am looking forward to completing that work here in London. San Francisco is a phenomenal city, with unparalleled architecture, a healthy-living vibe and an inclusive, open minded outlook. I was fortunate to attend Kabbalat Shabbat at Mission Minyan, an independent group offering Carlebach style services to an ever growing number of students, young professionals and local families. It was a lovely, meaningful evening which I would highly recommend to any Jewish person who finds themselves in the Bay Area.
I spent another month at Singing River Hospital, located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a small city of approximately 23,000 souls. I was fortunate to spend time both in the radiology and internal medicine departments, and took a trip to George County Regional Hospital- a rural healthcare facility in Lucedale, Mississippi (pop. 2,500). At Singing River the high use of technology on the wards and in surgery allows for increased efficiency & quality of care, but would be for naught without the extraordinary commitment shown by the physicians in developing strong doctor-patient relationships. The Gulf Coast is a beautiful part of the United States and has shown tremendous resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which caused such widespread devastation. I spent two Shabbatot at two different Conservative shuls: Ahavas Chesed in Mobile, Alabama & Beth Israel in Gulfport, Mississippi. Ahavas Chesed gets a small crowd on Friday night but benefits from a spiritual and creative rabbi who endeavors to make services relevant to the community he leads. Beth Israel was very welcoming, with a mix of children, teenagers and adults – services were partially led by a boy preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, and there was a sweet little oneg afterwards in honor of another young congregant who was about to start his studies out of state. While speaking with one of the families afterwards I got a sense of the challenges there are to being Jewish in the South, but also what strategies they use to keep children confidently connected to their religion and their heritage.
I am tremendously grateful to the Jewish Medical Association UK in assisting me with my elective, allowing me to achieve my educational objectives as well as visit some very special Jewish communities in North America.
Naomi Kaplan
UCL