International Engagement

In the Field

During the inaugural year, the Global Surgery Program was able to support travel to three international locations to attend and present at global surgery conferences and engage with hospital leaders through a $25,000 pilot grant, awarded to Mike M. Mallah, M.D. and $2000 travel grants awarded to the medical students. 

Inaugural Field Trip: COSECSA Conference& Site Visits to PAACS-affiliated Hospitals

The Medical University of South Carolina’s Global Surgery Program conducted its first field visit alongside Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Department of Surgery and the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) to re-think the current surgical resident case-logging system. PAACS oversees 23 resident training programs spanning 11 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Through MUSC's collaboration with PAACS and VCU, Dr. Mallah is aiming to develop a simple, education-focused, surgical resident case logging system to be used in all PAACS hospitals. Reliable tracking of surgical cases will help guide surgical education and improve future collaborations between PAACS, other low-middle income countries and high-income countries.

During the first four days of the trip the group attended the annual PAACS Basic Science Conference in  Namibia, Kenya, where there was faculty and resident representation from most of the 23 training sites.They focused their time at the conference on hearing from program directors and faculty.

Afterwards, they conducted site visits at three major PAACS-affiliated hospitals: Kijabe Hospital, Litein Hospital, and Tenwek Hospital. While at the hospitals we focused more on hearing from the surgical residents and observing the work-flow of the current case logging system.

Second Field Trip: Tenwek, Litein and Kijabein, Kenya

Mike M. Mallah, M.D., Habib Rafka (M2 MUSC) and Ben Cassidy (M3 VCU) traveled to Kenya to work with PAACS on assessing their surgical resident case logging system with the goal to improve surgical education. 

International Presentation: Brackenhurst Conference, Brackenhurst, Kenya

Third Field Trip: Uzbekistan

Mike M. Mallah, M.D. and McKay Meyer (M2 MUSC) traveled to Uzbekistan to work with the Health Ministry on assessing the countries surgical capacity and needs. McKay was there for a one-month long engagement as part of the Global Health Flex track in the 2nd year of his medical school curriculum.

International Presentation: Building a Global Surgery Program, Bukara, Uzbekistan

International Training Opportunities

Stellenbosch University, Capetown South Africa

Graduating medical student and General Surgery-bound Georgia Lydon traveled to Cape Town, South Africa on combined clinical/research experience.

She was the first of many students and residents to engage in partnership between MUSC Global Surgery and Stellenbosch University.

Georgia worked under the direction of Dr. Kathryn Chu, a internationally renowned researcher and Director of their Global Surgery Program. Georgia was in Cape Town for a three month period. She worked with the Center for Global Surgery on a combined clinical/research experience.

Bidirectional Engagement

• 2 African LMIC co-authors on book chapters (one from South Africa, one from Cameron)
• 1 South African attending surgeon currently planning to come to the US in October for MUSC site visit