Dr. Jorge Ocampo-Garza, MD (Mexico)

Mentor:  Dr. Luiz Castro, MD

Sao Paolo, Brazil. 2017 

For ISD mentorship awardee Dr. Jorge Ocampo-Garza of Monterrey, Mexico, spending two months in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with mentor Prof. Luiz Guilherme Martins Castro was a life changing experience.

From April - May 2017, Dr. Ocampo-Garza performed multiple surgeries under the guidance of Prof. Castro at the Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, and Prof. Castro’s private practice in Brazil. Dr. Ocampo-Garza mainly performed basic to advanced surgical procedures to treat skin cancer, from basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas to dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and melanoma, including removal of sentinel lymph nodes. He appreciated all the tips and insights Prof. Castro provided for both conventional and Mohs surgery, which Dr. Ocampo-Garza feels will make him a better surgeon. He noted that he will take all the knowledge learned in this mentorship with him to Mexico to teach dermatology residents and for the benefit of his patients.

In addition to his hands-on training, Dr. Ocampo-Garza had the opportunity to be a speaker in clinical sessions of the Oncology/ Dermatology group at one of the most important hospitals in Sao Paulo. Thanks to Prof. Castro’s invitation, Dr. Ocampo-Garza also participated as a speaker at the recently concluded ISD XII International Congress of Dermatology (ICD) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Dr. Ocampo-Garza is grateful to the ISD and Prof. Castro for this incredible opportunity. He appreciated the chance to be in one of the best dermatological surgery services in Brazil and even the world. He was also able to work with other outstanding dermatological surgeons led by Prof. Carlos D Apparecida Santos Machado Filho at the Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, and to whom he will always be thankful.

“Prof. Castro was a great teacher, a great mentor, and now a great friend, and to whom I am deeply grateful. I recommend that all young dermatologists join the ISD and apply to the Mentorship Program.” -- Dr. Jorge Ocampo-Garza