--- title: "Dr. Guilia Brigshelli: Addressing a Need For Pediatric Surgical Care in South Africa - Ohana One" description: Dr. Brisighelli chose to specialize in pediatrics because she believed it would allow her to establish a strong connection with patients and positively impact their outcomes. Under the mentorship of Dr. Marc Levitt, she has focused on mastering Posterior Sagittal Anorectoplasty (PSARP) procedures for patients with anorectal malformations. Dr. Brisighelli now feels more confident in […] image: https://blog.ohanaone.one/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Gulia.jpg --- [Ohana Updates](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/ohana-updates), [Surgical Sight Program](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/surgical-sight-program), [Patient Stories](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/patient-stories) # Dr. Guilia Brigshelli: Addressing a Need For Pediatric Surgical Care in South Africa November 14, 2022 ![](https://blog.ohanaone.one/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Gulia.jpg) Dr. Brisighelli chose to specialize in pediatrics because she believed it would allow her to establish a strong connection with patients and positively impact their outcomes. Under the mentorship of Dr. Marc Levitt, she has focused on mastering Posterior Sagittal Anorectoplasty (PSARP) procedures for patients with anorectal malformations. Dr. Brisighelli now feels more confident in performing these specific procedures and successfully completes around 20 PSARPs and 12 pull-throughs per year. However, there is a waitlist of approximately 80 patients, highlighting the significant demand for these surgeries, especially when compared to high-income countries. South Africa is ranked #53 in terms of healthcare quality, with a population of 59.39 million people and approximately 11 surgeons per 100,000 individuals. The country faces significant health inequalities, and poverty levels have been rapidly increasing since 2015, making it even more challenging for people to access affordable healthcare. Dr. Brisighelli believes that witnessing the impact of her surgical care is intrinsically linked to providing proper colorectal follow-up for patients. Over the course of her 8-year professional relationship with Dr. Levitt, he emphasized the importance of long-term follow-up care and the value of sharing knowledge and uplifting others. Dr. Brisighelli strives to do the same in her own practice, and she believes that many families and fellow surgeons are benefiting from this approach. We are proud to have Dr. Brisighelli as part of our Ohana, and we eagerly anticipate following her journey of surgical training and professional growth. [View All Blog Posts ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news) ###### Category - [ Ohana Updates ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/ohana-updates) - [ Partners ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/partners) - [ Surgical Sight Program ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/surgical-sight-program) - [ Meet Our Ohana ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/meet-our-ohana) - [ Surgical Outreach Trips ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/surgical-outreach-trips) - [ Patient Stories ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/patient-stories) - [ Events ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/events) - [ Ohana One Documentary ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/ohana-one-documentary) - [ Nursing ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/nursing) - [ OO App ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/tag/oo-app) ###### Support Our Ohana ###### Sign Up For The OO Newsletter ### Leave a Comment ### Similar Blogs [![Dr. Pramila Shakya: Healing Children in Nepal](https://blog.ohanaone.one/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Pramila.jpg?width=352&name=Pramila.jpg) ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-pramila-shakya-healing-children-in-nepal) #### [Dr. Pramila Shakya: Healing Children in Nepal](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-pramila-shakya-healing-children-in-nepal) By [ Rachel Buigas-Lopez ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/author/rachel-buigas-lopez) 21 November 2022 Since childhood, Dr. Shakya had a dream of becoming a doctor. She chose reconstructive surgery... [ READ MORE ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-guilia-brigshelli-addressing-a-need-for-pediatric-surgical-care-in-south-africa) [![Dr. Dimuthu Tennakoon Achieves His Goals With The Surgical Sight Program](https://blog.ohanaone.one/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/tennakoon-1.webp?width=352&name=tennakoon-1.webp) ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-dimuthu-tennakoon-achieves-his-goals-with-the-surgical-sight-program) #### [Dr. Dimuthu Tennakoon Achieves His Goals With The Surgical Sight Program](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-dimuthu-tennakoon-achieves-his-goals-with-the-surgical-sight-program) By [ Rachel Buigas-Lopez ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/author/rachel-buigas-lopez) 14 February 2024 [ READ MORE ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-guilia-brigshelli-addressing-a-need-for-pediatric-surgical-care-in-south-africa) [![Mentorship Monday: Dr. Marc Levitt](https://blog.ohanaone.one/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/MM.jpg?width=352&name=MM.jpg) ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/mentorship-monday-dr-marc-levitt) #### [Mentorship Monday: Dr. Marc Levitt](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/mentorship-monday-dr-marc-levitt) By [ Rachel Buigas-Lopez ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/author/rachel-buigas-lopez) 15 August 2022 > “I mentor because I find it so gratifying to know that I can help patients I will never meet... [ READ MORE ](https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-guilia-brigshelli-addressing-a-need-for-pediatric-surgical-care-in-south-africa) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rachel Buigas-Lopez", "url" : "https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/author/rachel-buigas-lopez" }, "dateModified" : "2025-01-30T21:55:53.607Z", "datePublished" : "2022-11-14T09:33:01.000Z", "headline" : "Dr. Guilia Brigshelli: Addressing a Need For Pediatric Surgical Care in South Africa - Ohana One", "image" : [ "https://blog.ohanaone.one/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Gulia.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.ohanaone.one/news/dr-guilia-brigshelli-addressing-a-need-for-pediatric-surgical-care-in-south-africa", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.ohanaone.one/hubfs/Ohana%20One%20Logo_dark.png" }, "name" : "Ohana One International" } } ```