We are excited to announce the all new WABIP Visiting Scholar Grant, whose first recipient is Dr. Omer Elhag, WABIP Regent from Sudan. This grant provided support to Dr. Elhag to complete EBUS and conventional TBNA training as part of a Sudanese nationally supported program to expand lung cancer diagnosis and management.

Dr Elhag is an opinion leader in Sudan and department head of a major university teaching hospital in Khartoum. His credentials include a medical doctorate degree from the university of Cluj, Romania. As part of the WABIP visiting scholars grant, Omer returned to Romania from March 24, 2018 to April 20, 2018. Under the tutelage of Dr. Mariaora Simon, he completed a structured Bronchoscopy International curriculum that included reading and analysis of The Essential cTBNA Bronchoscopist, the Essential EBUS Bronchoscopist, coached practical approach exercises, analytical review of EBUS-related teaching videos available from the BronchOrg YouTube channel, training in cytology and specimen/smear preparation, commentary of the WABIP podcast on small samples in lung cancer, and numerous hours of hands-on training using models, then live clinical cases after achieving 100 percent technical skill scores using assessment tools such as EBUS-STAT.

Furthermore, Omer assisted with preparations for a first hands-on EBUS training course in Romania, addressing endobronchial ultrasound physics, equipment (processors, bronchoscopes, needles, radial and linear array transducers), diagnosis and mediastinal staging, Bronchoscopy skills and techniques, anatomy, lung cancer classification according to universally accepted IASLC guidelines, clinical case analyses, and EBUS-CT-White light bronchoscopy correlations.

Having returned to the Sudan, Dr. Elhag can share his new knowledge and expertise with his colleagues in his country, expanding clinical care and serving patients with greater skill and competence. Many congratulations to Dr. Elhag for building a strong foundation of knowledge and clinical expertise that will help hundreds of patients and advance interventional pulmonology in Sudan.