Kenyan Women Neurosurgeons Breaking Boundaries at Home and Globally

According to Dr Uzma Samadani, working as a neurosurgeon requires the ability to make critical life-or-death decisions on a daily basis.

Dr Samadani emphasizes the sensitivity of her work, as she operates at a level-one trauma centre – the largest in the Midwest – handling the most severe total body emergencies. As a trauma neurosurgeon, she treats patients who arrive unexpectedly, and the first question families ask is whether their loved one will survive. This experience, which is extremely distressing for many families, is part of the neurosurgeon’s daily routine. Every patient is considered a high-stakes case, making the work both incredibly significant and anxiety-inducing.

The field of neurosurgery is heavily male-dominated, with only 7 per cent of neurosurgeons worldwide being women. In Kenya, the situation is even more stark, with only six female neurosurgeons practising in the country. A recent report from the East African Journal of Neurological Sciences (EAJNS) highlights that Kenya needs an additional 230 neurosurgeons to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended ratio of one neurosurgeon per 100,000 individuals, which is adjusted to 1:200,000 for low and middle-income countries. Despite this shortage, Kenya has made progress in this area over the years, with 40 neurosurgery residents currently in training, including Dr Marjorie Adagi, the only female resident in her senior year.

The EAJNS report emphasizes that neurosurgeons do much more than just brain surgery. Approximately 70% of their time is dedicated to treating conditions such as back pain, neck pain, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and even leg pain. They work with the entire nervous system, which extends from the brain to the spine and branches out to all parts of the body. According to Dr Samadani, due to the gender gap in the field, it is challenging for female neurosurgeons to find mentors who share the same background and experiences.

The EAJNS report further highlights that female neurosurgeons face challenges in balancing their personal and professional lives, owing to additional responsibilities such as child-bearing. Dr Samadani herself had a baby while being a resident and experienced the difficulties of juggling work and motherhood. Despite having a supportive family, she had to work long hours during her pregnancy and missed out on important moments in her child’s life. Even now, working about 70 hours a week, she still feels the struggle of being a parent and missing out on significant events.

To support these professionals in Kenya, the EAJNS has profiled some of the country’s female neurosurgeons including Dr Sylvia Shitsama who became the first female neurosurgeon in Kenya after graduating in 2015. Dr Shitsama is a consultant neurosurgeon and lecturer at the School of Medicine, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). She completed her neurosurgery training in Kenya at the University of Nairobi and in Canada at the St Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto. Her areas of focus include spine and skull base neurosurgery as well as medical education and research.

Dr Shitsama is actively involved in the Women in Neurosurgery (WIN) Kenyan chapter as the Chairperson, and she also serves as the mentorship lead at JKUAT School of Medicine. Additionally, she is a committee member of WIN, which is a committee of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS-WIN). Another pioneering female neurosurgeon in Kenya is Dr Susan Karanja who became the second female neurosurgeon in the country when she graduated in 2015. Dr Karanja is a consultant neurosurgeon at Kenyatta National Hospital and an adjunct lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Nairobi. She obtained her medical degree in Kenya and then pursued her neurosurgery training in South Africa at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her main area of interest is neurovascular neurosurgery.

Dr Karanja currently serves as the Treasurer of the Kenya Association of Women Surgeons (KAWS) and is a Fellow of the College of Neurosurgeons of South Africa. Other notable female neurosurgeons in Kenya include Dr Grace Muthoni Thiong’o who completed her Master’s degree in Medicine-Neurosurgery at the University of Nairobi in 2016 and is currently working and furthering her education at the Sick Children Hospital, University of Toronto, specializing in pediatric neurosurgery and neurotechnology.

Dr Trizah Tracey John, a consultant neurosurgeon and honorary lecturer at the Department of Surgery at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital completed her Master’s Degree in Neurosurgery at the University of Nairobi in 2017 having studied in both Kenya and Switzerland. Additionally, Dr Beverley Cheserem, a consultant neurosurgeon and associate professor at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, received her training in the United Kingdom, including South London Hospital. She has a particular interest in skull-based neurosurgery, as well as global neurosurgery and clinical research. Dr Cheserem also serves as the current Chairperson of the Kenya Association of Women Surgeons (KAWS).

While the field of neurosurgery remains male-dominated, these pioneering female neurosurgeons in Kenya are paving the way for more women to enter this crucial and demanding field, contributing to the country’s healthcare system and serving as mentors and role models for future generations.