To address the shortage of surgeons in sub-Saharan Africa, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA) launched a joint scholarship program in 2017 to support women through their surgical training. In the second year of the scholarship, the award will help cover the recipients’ examination fees and five-year membership dues to COSECSA and the ACS.
Five women from Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia were recipients of the 2018 ACS-COSECSA Women Scholars scholarships, as follows:
- Yemisirach Akililu, MD, is an Ethiopian surgeon completing her training in neurosurgery at Black Lion Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Mumba Chalwe, MBCHb, is Zambia’s first female urologist, trained at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
- Aingaya Kaale, MD, is a Tanzanian surgeon training in neurosurgery at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
- Kad Musas, MD, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is training in general surgery at University Teaching Hospital.
- Happiness Rabiel, MD, is a Tanzanian surgeon training in neurosurgery at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.
Visit the Operation Giving Back web page for more information about each surgeon.