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Developing Global Surgery Scholarship Within an Academic Residency Program: Early Results of a Multifaceted Approach
*Maija Cheung, James M Healy, *Michael DeWane, Michael Hall, *Christine Deyholos, *Tobias Carling, *Kevin Y Pei, Walter Longo, Peter Yoo, Michael Caty, *Doruk Ozgediz
Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT

Objective: Academic surgery programs are increasing engagement in global surgery. A survey of faculty and residents at our institution confirmed high levels of interest in global surgery and emphasized a lack of structured opportunities for involvement. A resident-led Global Surgery Division was created within our education section to develop scholarly activities in this area. Design: Intervention study Setting: Tertiary Academic Medical Center Participants: Residents and Faculty Interventions: Development of a Global Surgery Division Main Outcome Measure: Development of global surgery activities for residents and faculty Results: The committee developed a unifying mission statement and four areas of scholarly work were piloted: 1) resident-led quarterly journal clubs for residents in general surgery and surgical disciplines with 10-20 residents/session; 2) an ACGME accredited resident elective in pediatric surgery; completed by one resident 3) partnership with medical students in collaborative research projects with six medical students leading global surgery projects; 4) expansion to specialized areas of international collaboration in trauma and endocrine surgery leading to specific skills-based courses and outreach tailored to resource-poor areas; 5) development of an inaugural campus-wide multidisciplinary symposium for global surgery with broad specialty representation and a wide-range of international and regional speakers. Conclusions: A resident-led global health education committee can inspire a wide range of scholarly activities, including, but not limited to, a clinical rotation at a site in a low-income country. Matching faculty interest and department resources with local needs in resource-poor areas can expand areas of collaboration. Medical students can be engaged in this process, and local forums such as journal clubs and conferences can augment mentorship, networking, and competency in global surgery activities.


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