Committee Updates and Workgroup Activities

Advocacy Subcommittee

Global Health Council Collaboration

Our subcommittee has taken a pivotal role in the Global Health Briefing Book initiative, set for release in 2025. This crucial document will inform Congress about critical developments in global health, with a special focus on surgical care advancements. Our team is actively contributing to the drafting and editing process, ensuring that the surgical perspective is well-represented. View the Global Surgery Section of the 2023 Briefing Book.

HMARIA, Inc. president and CEO Jodie Roure, PhD, JD (left) meets with Dr. Girma Tefera and others.

Domestic Subcommittee

Puerto Rico Program Flourishes

Our speaker series in Puerto Rico, now in its third year, continues to grow and inspire the next generation of surgeons. The program has expanded to include four medical schools in Puerto Rico, one in the Dominican Republic, and the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education in New York. These engaging sessions feature ACS Fellows who share their career pathways and specialties, followed by interactive Q&A sessions. An additional program to mentor medical students in their applications for surgical residency programs is underway.

Dr. Girma Tefera presents on ACS H.O.P.E. and Puerto Rico at The City University of New York.

Education Subcommittee

ACS Clinical Congress 2024

We are proud to celebrate the exceptional residents who have been awarded the ACS H.O.P.E. Resident Clinical Congress Scholarship. This scholarship is designed to provide residents with an opportunity to deepen their engagement with global surgery by attending the Global Health Competencies for Surgeons didactic course hosted every year at the ACS Clinical Congress. This year, we awarded the scholarship to the following residents from across the US for their dedication and potential in this vital field:

Zachary Elwell – PGY1 from the University of Arizona
Kennedy Jensen – PGY2 from the University of Utah
Osaid Alser – PGY3 from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Rebecca Meyer – PGY1 from Marshall University
Shahyan Rehman – PGY3 from Yale University
Kara Faktor – PGY4 from the University of California San Francisco
Hima Bindu Thota – PGY3 from Rutgers University
Joy Obayemi – PGY3 from the University of Michigan
Morgan Jackson – PGY2 from Wayne State University

Fayrouz Abu-Hamdan, MD, from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, has been awarded the ACS H.O.P.E. Hawassa Surgical Training Collaborative Research Scholarship. Dr. Abu-Hamdan's research, titled "Optimizing Prehospital Trauma Interventions and Medical Emergency Systems in Hawassa, Ethiopia (OPTIMIZE Study)," aims to refine prehospital trauma care processes and outcomes.

International Subcommittee

Inter-Hub Education Initiative

Our Inter-Hub Education Workgroup, led by Melany C. Hughes, MD, MPH, FACS, is preparing a new lecture series, officially named the “Global Surgery Expert Lecture Series.” This initiative aims to foster knowledge sharing across not just our three ACS H.O.P.E. surgical collaborative hubs, but also to any LMIC surgical training programs. After consultation with our partners, we've identified 12 topics to prioritize for the upcoming educational program, ranging from specialized areas like trauma surgery and burn care to broader themes such as surgical nutrition and palliative care for surgeons. The lectures will be scheduled on the third Thursday each month, starting December 19 at 8:00 am ET/4:00 pm EAT. Registration for the series is required.

ACS-Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards

In July, the Board of Governors Surgical Volunteerism Humanitarian Awards Workgroup led by Manoj Monga, MD, FACS, and Teresa Tam, MD, FACS, requested official approval of the award winners listed below. Over the course of several weeks, workgroup members evaluated a record-breaking 73 nominations and, ultimately, decided on five remarkable individuals.

These surgeon volunteers were honored at the 2024 Clinical Congress in San Francisco, and you can read more about them in the October Bulletin. The next nomination cycle will open in December 2024. More information to follow. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you for the tireless efforts of the Board of Governors Workgroup.