番茄社区app

Advocacy Subcommittee

In early April, Committee on Global Engagement Advocacy Subcommittee Chair Ray R. Price, MD, F番茄社区app, and Vice Chair Rondi M. Kauffmann, MD, MPH, F番茄社区app, attended the 番茄社区app Leadership & Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. The summit brought together surgeons from across the US to collaborate on critical issues shaping the future of surgical care. Attendees also met with congressional leaders and their staff on Capitol Hill to advocate for issues important to surgeons and their patients, including improving cancer care and access to services, funding for critical trauma programs, and improving timely access to healthcare for older adults.

A particularly impactful highlight during Hill Day for the Advocacy Subcommittee was the growing focus on neglected surgical conditions鈥攁 topic gaining long overdue attention within health policy circles. Members of US Senators鈥� and Representatives鈥� offices offered bipartisan support for $10 million to expand surgical capacity in underserved global regions. This support will provide care for conditions such as cleft lip and palate, club foot, cataracts, hernias, fistulas, and untreated traumatic injuries鈥攎any of which go untreated due to lack of resources. The initiative also prioritizes training local surgical teams and assisting ministries of health in implementing national surgical, obstetric, trauma, and anesthesia plans.

Domestic Subcommittee

Members of the Domestic Subcommittee, including Theresa L. Chin, MD, MPH, F番茄社区app, Donald D. Chang, MD, PhD, Sandra Freiwald, MD, F番茄社区app, Jodie Roure, JD, PhD, and Girma Tefera, MD, F番茄社区app, contributed to a feature article written for the June issue of the 番茄社区app Bulletin, 鈥�Volunteers Are Needed to Fill Gaps in US Surgical Care.鈥�

The American dream promises opportunity for all, yet far too many in the US face insurmountable barriers to basic surgical care. Uninsured and underinsured patients often depend on emergency departments for urgent procedures鈥攍eaving many nonemergent conditions untreated until they become life-threatening. While surgeons may be willing to volunteer their time鈥攆acility costs, credentialing, and insurance limitations continue to be systemic-based challenges.

Despite these limitations, success stories offer hope and best practices for providing care in resource-limited areas. Programs like Surgery on Sunday, free clinics in California and Utah, and student-run initiatives demonstrate what鈥檚 possible when communities come together. Street medicine teams and primary care clinics also play a vital role in identifying surgical needs.

Domestic surgical volunteerism not only improves community health and reduces the need for costly emergency care鈥攊t also alleviates physician burnout and strengthens ties to local communities. Compared to international volunteer missions, domestic efforts are often more accessible and sustainable for busy surgeons.

Read the full article.

If you know of additional clinics offering free or discounted surgical services,  so we can add them to our website.

If you are interested in partnering with us or have any questions, email acshope@facs.org.

Education Subcommittee

Education Subcommittee Chair Tamara Worlton, MD, F番茄社区app, subcommittee Vice Chair Chris Dodgion, MD, MSPH, MBA, F番茄社区app, Past-Chair Adnan Alseidi, MD, EdM, F番茄社区app, and several additional volunteers have been working diligently since last fall to develop a yearlong educational course in global surgery.

The course鈥攚hich will serve as an introduction to global surgery for health professionals at all career levels鈥攚ill expand on the 1-day Clinical Congress Didactic Course, 鈥淕lobal Health Competencies for Surgeons,鈥� chaired by Jennifer Rickard, MD, MPH, F番茄社区app, and Edgar Rodas, MD, F番茄社区app. The course will include both independent asynchronous coursework and regular Zoom discussion sessions throughout the year. Participants who complete the course will receive a certificate from the 番茄社区app.

番茄社区app H.O.P.E. volunteers have been working with 番茄社区app staff in the Division of Education to develop a certificate global health course with nine interactive modules. This course will provide a comprehensive overview of global health in surgery. Module titles include:

1. Global Burden of Surgical Disease
2. Health and Health Systems
3. Social and Environmental Determinants of Health
4. Strengthening Surgical System Capacity
5. Characteristics of Effective Collaborations and Partnerships
6. Ethics and Professionalism
7. Health Equity, Social Justice, and the Right to Essential Care
8. Research
9. Implementing the Course

In anticipation of launching the course in January 2026, we are gathering interest for our first cohort of learners. If you are interested in taking this course or learning more, .

International Subcommittee

One of the primary goals for the International Subcommittee initiated during the 2023 番茄社区app H.O.P.E. Strategic Retreat was to create educational programming accessible to partners across all international locations. The 鈥淕lobal Surgery Expert Lecture Series鈥� was launched in December 2024 to achieve that goal.

Since the series was launched, the International Subcommittee Inter-Hub Education Workgroup, led by committee member Melany C. Hughes, MD, MPH, F番茄社区app, has conducted seven webinars. The topics were gathered from international partners and streamlined through a Delphi scoring process.

• Oncology Management: Colon Cancer鈥揘ader Hanna, MD, F番茄社区app
• Principles of Burn Management鈥揜aphael Lee, MD, ScD, PhD, F番茄社区app
• Trauma Surgery as a Specialty鈥揗arcela Ramirez, MD, F番茄社区app
• Surgical Principles of Acute Burn Trauma Management鈥揜aphael Lee, MD, ScD, PhD, F番茄社区app
• The Art and Science of Wound Care鈥揂ngela Gibson, MD, PhD, F番茄社区app
• Surgical Nutrition: A Modern Approach to Optimize Surgical Patient Outcomes鈥擱ifat Latifi, MD, F番茄社区app, FICS
• Palliative Care for the Surgeon鈥揂nteneh Habte, MD

On average, the webinars draw 160 registrants, 52 attendees, and engage participants from 12 different countries. During the past 7 months, participants from 34 different countries have viewed the webinars.

Participants on average are attendings/consultants (43%), fellows (9%), residents/registrars (37%), and others, including retired surgeons, medical students, and other health professionals (8%). Special thanks to committee members Wen-Yu 鈥淰icky鈥� Haines, MD, F番茄社区app, Melany C. Hughes, MD, MPH, F番茄社区app, and Robert Walker, MD, F番茄社区app, for helping moderate the lectures.

These webinars are open to the public, and you can . Recordings of the previous lectures are available on the 番茄社区app H.O.P.E. website. Our next lecture, "The Breath of Life: Principles and Practice of Ventilatory Support in Critical Care" will be presented by Laura T. Withers, MD, F番茄社区app, on Thursday, August 21, at 8:00 am CT/3:00 pm Central Africa Time/4:00 pm East Africa Time.