Role of Collaborative Academic Partnerships in Surgical Training, Education, and Provision

• DOI: 10.1007/s00268-009-0360-4
• Publication Date: 2010-01-04T18:38:25Z
• Authors: Robert Riviello; Doruk Ozgediz; Renee Y. Hsia; Georges Azzie; Mark Newton; John Tarpley
• Keywords: Expatriate; Global Health; Vascular surgery

Abstract The global disparities in both surgical disease burden and access to delivery of care are gaining prominence the medical literature media. Concurrently, there is an unprecedented groundswell idealism interest health among North American students trainees anesthesia disciplines. Many academic centers (AMCs) seeking respond by creating partnerships with teaching hospitals overseas. In this article we describe six such partnerships, as follows: (1) University California San Francisco (UCSF) Bellagio Essential Surgery Group; (2) USCF Makerere University, Uganda; (3) Vanderbilt Baptist Medical Center, Ogbomoso, Nigeria; (4) Kijabe Hospital, Kenya; (5) Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children Ministry Health Botswana; (6) Harvard (Brigham Women’s Children’s Boston) Partners Haiti Rwanda. Reflection on these experiences offers valuable lessons, make recommendations critical components leading success. These include importance relationships, emphasis mutual learning, need “champions,” affirming that local training needs supersede expatriate needs, value collaboration research, adapting mission locally expressed a multidisciplinary approach, measure outcomes. We conclude era cautious optimism AMCs have opportunity shape future leaders surgery address current disparities.