Leadership in Global Surgery

OVERVIEW

In partnership with the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS), the University of Alberta Office of Global Surgery (OGS) is hosting an in-person session during this year’s Bethune Roundtable Conference. The Bethune Round Table (BRT) is an annual interdisciplinary meeting dedicated to tackling the challenges of delivering accessible, high-quality surgical care to marginalized patients in low-resource settings.

This event will be held on May 17th, 2024 on the topic: 

LEADERSHIP IN GLOBAL SURGERY: GAPS, OPPORTUNITIES & THE FUTURE

Effective leaders play a significant role in building capacity, mobilizing resources, advocating for policy changes, and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations necessary to improve surgical outcomes. This event will focus on exploring the role of leadership in advancing global surgical care and achieving health equity for all.

This event is open to all students, medical trainees, health professionals and individuals from diverse disciplines, locally and internationally. It will include rounds, panel discussions, research presentations and expert speakers in global surgery who will share insights and experiences.

BACKGROUND

5 billion people lack access to safe surgical and anesthetic care worldwide, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) disproportionately affected. This results in a staggering shortfall of 143 million procedures annually and an estimated economic loss of $12.3 trillion to LMICs by 2030. Surgery has been labelled as the neglected stepchild of global health until recently when it began receiving significant attention in practice and support as global surgery. However, the field of global surgery continues to face multifaceted challenges such as disparities in access to care, inadequate infrastructure, and workforce shortages. Its exponential growth has highlighted the crucial need for leadership development and innovative thinking to harness this newfound momentum.

OBJECTIVES

1. To highlight the need and value of leadership development in global surgery
2. To explore the current gaps in leadership and management within the field of global surgery
3. To stimulate discussion on the opportunities that exist for enhancing leadership development and leadership can evolve to meet future needs and global challenges
4. To provide a platform for sharing best practices and innovative approaches to building leadership capacities within the global surgery community
5. To empower and support the next generation of leaders in global surgery