International Member Spotlight - Dr Maykel Povea Mora

I’m the CEO and founder of the International School of Veterinary Surgery (ISVS) in Lima, Peru, which is where I’m currently based. As well as being a school, we also we also run a referral service, where we deal with complex cases.

We initially decided to open the ISVS here, because we saw that there was a real need for high quality surgical education in Latin America. I was fortunate enough to acquire brilliant training from the UK and other similar countries, and wanted to pass that on to those who may not have had the same opportunities. So that’s how it all started.

However, I work across the whole of Latin America.

I’m a surgeon at heart. I got my membership in small animal surgery from the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists. I’ve done extensive post graduate training too and have a World Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons Fellowship in minimal access surgery from the University of South Florida.

When I started training, even though I had been to Colorado State University and many places to train as a minimally invasive surgeon, I felt that there was something missing and I wanted more. That was when I was lucky enough to be accepted to do my fellowship within the field of human medicine, so I had to then wrestle with the human anatomy side of things!

In fact, I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that recently my research abstract, "Comparative Efficacy of Extracorporeal Gea Knot and Titanium Clips in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Canine Cadaver Study," has been accepted for an oral podium presentation at the upcoming Veterinary Endoscopy Scientific annual meeting in Santa Barbara, California, USA on 29 July to 1 August 2024. This work will also be published in the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, and the Veterinary Endoscopy Society, 'Veterinary Surgery,' as a citable reference. I’m really excited for the opportunity to connect with and learn from global minimally invasive surgery experts at the event.

As well as minimally invasive surgery, I’m also really interested in cardiothoracic surgery, in addition to working in academia. I’m a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery for the master’s degree course, Catholic University of Cuenca, Ecuador, and I’ve also lectured in surgical pathology here in Lima.

I’ve been all over the place teaching and attending congresses.

From a minimally invasive standpoint, we do research at ISVS too – we get human doctors and veterinary doctors working together around the One Health concept in order to help advance science.

In my training, I’ve sort of studied a bit of everything, but I’ve started to increasingly hone my skills in certain areas. I now do advanced soft tissue surgery as well as cardio thoracic surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

In terms of teaching, we have different programmes and certifications that we teach and collaborate with all the universities, scientific institutions, and specialists to help us deliver the programmes. It’s a big team effort.

I enjoy both the teaching and surgery, but I found my place in theatre. I’m happiest in surgery, but I also like passing on what I learn. I keep up my knowledge through teaching and going to conferences, so I’m also learning new things every day. There’s a big opportunity for learning through teaching. I can see the impact that we’re making in Latin America and how the standard of cases has improved and the lives of the animals we look after.

If I was to stay and just operate in Lima, then I would only reach a certain number of patients. But if I can teach others those skills, we can continue to maximise that effort across the whole of Latin America.

In the morning, I usually start with coffee and emails. Then I make some phone calls, before having a few meetings with colleagues across Latin America to make sure that everything is running smoothly with the schools. I never get to go into theatre early in the mornings because I have too much paperwork, but generally I manage to get into theatre by around 11am.

I also work with students and residents. We have alliances with some universities where they send their final year students to work with us, as well as new graduates who train with us, so we also spend time supervising and supporting them too.

Then, in the evenings I tend to read, study, or watch a lecture.

I really enjoy seeing my colleagues improve their skills. It’s great to feel like you’re really making a difference and I love seeing that impact. People are happier, animals are receiving improved care, and welfare standards are going up. That’s why I could never leave – that’s the thing I enjoy the most.

Although, as mentioned before, I do love surgery. When we successfully complete a complicated surgery, I find that really rewarding. 

Yes, I always wanted to be a vet, but I actually come from a family of medical doctors who all wanted me to be a doctor.

Back in Cuba, where I grew up, I was very fortunate to belong to a high achieving academic group of students, which then gave me the opportunity to study human medicine and veterinary medicine. So, initially I studied both, but when I finished the courses, I told my dad that I didn’t want to carry on with the human medicine side of things. However, it has definitely helped me with my understanding of veterinary medicine and majorly so with my post graduate fellowship in minimal access surgery, because I already understood human anatomy.

I consider myself a nomad. A lot of people ask me that question, especially because I could be working back in the UK now in referral practice, or even in the states, but I like the work I do here. Once everything is settled here, I might return to the UK, because there are certain things that I can’t achieve here. Lima is home for now, but I don’t know whether it will be in the future. The UK is my second home.

Most of my students aren’t from Peru; we teach in Mexico, Argentina, Patagonia, Ecuador and all over. We’ve expanded quite well. But speaking about Peru specifically, it does differ to the UK. We have regulations but it’s not the same. We have a college that regulates us, and you have to have a licence to practise, but it only really focuses on that aspect alone. You pay your fee to register but they don’t participate in your life as much as you would like as a vet. Not like in the UK where the RCVS isn’t just our regulatory body, but also our Royal College that want us to be ok, to grow and develop, and put things in place to help us to do that.

On the one hand, it’s what I do directly for my patients. But on the other hand, it’s the indirect impact that I have on animals through my students. I try to teach them to understand that our patients are not just animals - they are our patients, and they need to be treated with respect and dignity. It’s then also encouraging them to instil this attitude into other people they come across in their work. That’s how I try to contribute. I do try to go the extra mile sometimes, by organising surgical days in local communities where we do work such a s spay campaigns. I think it’s important to give back in that way too.

I like to travel. Peru is a big place, so when I’m not working, I like to explore and experience some of the wonders of the world – there are some beautiful places to visit here. Or I travel to different countries across Latin America, but I mainly explore Peru. I also have a beautiful daughter, so I do my best to spend time with her and try to get the balance right the best that I can with work. I also enjoy fishing, but travel is my main passion outside of work.