As the only orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon in the state, Katherine Gavin, MD, doesn’t shy away from a challenge—whether that’s caring for patients in New Mexico or for some of the neediest populations in the world.
“Some of the patients I’m operating on are undergoing massive surgeries to reconstruct their leg,” she said. “The recovery is sometimes six to 12 months. I know they are putting a ton of trust in me, and I don’t want to let them down.”
Gavin’s patients from all over the state have been trusting her for more than eight years at The University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center—A Campus of UNM Hospital (SRMC).
“Part of the reason I enjoy working at SRMC is being able to help our patients who are underserved,” she said. “We treat a very vulnerable population. Socioeconomically, they're very fragile and health wise- they can be very fragile. I'm humbled by what they've gone through and are going through just to get care.”
This year, it wasn’t just New Mexicans, but also patients from an entirely different country who faced tremendous challenges to get care—and who put their trust in Gavin’s surgical hands.
“One of our residents here at SRMC approached me about working with One World Surgery to help patients in Honduras get much-needed care,” she said.
One World Surgery is a nonprofit that provides free, high-quality, surgical and primary care to underserved communities in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Immediately, Gavin was all in, but she knew she was also going to need her team.
“What was most impressive for me was my staff at SRMC and how quickly they answered, ‘yes,’ when I asked them,” she said. “It was astounding.”
Gavin, along with her surgical first assistant, Michelle Correa, scrub technician, Catherine Aragon, circulating nurse Jeaneene Sponenburg-Tapia, RN, and a third-year resident, Lauren Nun, MD—all from SRMC—packed up and headed to Honduras for a week.
They were just monster surgeries, with very difficult pathology. It was really mentally and physically taxing on all of us to do that for five days in a row, but also extremely rewarding.
- Katherine Gavin, MD, Foot & Ankle Surgeon, SRMC
“They’d never done anything like this,” Gavin said. “They’d never been to a place like Honduras, but still they said yes to volunteering for a week of work.”
And it was a lot of work.
Gavin and her team operated out of One World Surgery’s Holy Family Surgery Center located on a ranch just northeast of Honduras’ capital of Tegucigalpa. The surgery center has three operating rooms and six clinic/overnight bays.
“My team would walk to the surgery center every morning,” Gavin said. “We would start out walking in the dark and come back in the dark most of the days we were there.”
For five days straight Gavin and her team performed back-to-back complex surgeries on the patients in Honduras.
Holy Family Surgery Center in Honduras.
Holy Family Surgery Center in Honduras.
SRMC team along with others performing orthopaedic surgery.
SRMC team along with others performing surgery on Honduras patient.
Honduras patient who had a fracture that left his leg bent at a 90-degree angle. Dr. Gavin and the SRMC team operated to straighten his leg.
Left to right, Jeaneene Sponenburg-Tapia, RN, Michelle Correa, Katherine Gavin, MD
“They were just monster surgeries, with very difficult pathology” she said. “It was really mentally and physically taxing on all of us to do that for five days in a row, but also extremely rewarding.”
Seeing their impact made all the difference. Gavin recalled one Honduras patient who had a fracture in his lower leg that hadn’t been appropriately treated.
“He had a fracture that never fully healed,” she said. “His leg came down straight from the knee and then turned 90 degrees; it was permanently bent at a 90-degree angle.”
The man hadn’t been able to walk in two years. The SRMC team performed the intricate surgery to straighten his leg. Gavin saw him for a follow-up the next day.
“He said, ‘I can’t believe my leg is straight; this is crazy!’ He was so appreciative, so grateful,” Gavin said. “Not to be able to walk in a country without accessibility basically sentences you to a life home on the couch. Now, once he heals, hopefully all that changes for him.”
When the week was up, Gavin and her team had performed 14 complex surgeries for patients in Honduras who, otherwise, would not have received the care they needed. She said those patients will receive follow-up care by an orthopaedic surgeon who works in the country full-time.
“Some of them have a long road ahead,” she said, “but now they are a lot closer to more fully going back to their lives without the pain and debilitating injuries they were living with before.”
Gavin said the resiliency she saw in those patients was matched by the SRMC team’s dedication.
“The perseverance they showed and their commitment to give back was so impressive,” she said. “It brought tears to my eyes. I’m just so proud of them.”
We laughed and had some very serious moments, but we all appreciated each other at the end of the day. It was a blessing to go help those less fortunate. I would go back again. It was something I wish more people could experience. It humbled us.
- Catherine Aragon, Certified Surgical Technologist Scrub Tech, SRMC
Our trip to Honduras was a deeply humbling experience that allowed our team to use our skills to help provide much needed care to underserved communities. It was definitely a rewarding experience that strengthened my passion for service and reminded me how impactful compassionate health care can be.
- Michelle Correa, Surgical 1st Assistant, SRMC
Many of the patients we treated had deformities that, once corrected, would restore their ability to walk, profoundly impacting their lives. This mission was not just about medical procedures but also about compassion and teamwork. Ultimately, the experience was incredibly rewarding. It was a blend of professional growth and personal fulfillment, knowing that our efforts helped transform lives. By the end of the trip, I had not only honed new skills but also witnessed the profound impact of compassionate health care.
- Jeaneene Sponenburg-Tapia, RN, Circulator, SRMC
