MUSC Global Surgery Program expands, paves way for transformative change

Two years ago, under the leadership of trauma surgeon Mike M. Mallah, M.D., the MUSC Global Surgery Program was officially born with a bold vision – to transform how residents, medical students, health care professionals and communities worldwide engage with global health issues. What started as a single inaugural meeting led by Mallah and attended by a handful of enthusiastic medical students has evolved into an innovative and impactful global surgery program based on the ethos of bidirectionality. 

The program is garnering a lot of interest within MUSC and beyond. Fast forward to the Global Surgery Program’s most recent meeting, where more than 70 attendees came together to share insights and inspire change. Attendees included MUSC leadership, MUSC Foundation representatives, faculty members from nine surgical specialties, students, residents and community and industry partners. All had the opportunity to learn from a true legend in global surgery, John Tarpley, M.D., an American College of Surgeons Icon of Surgery and Professor Emeritus, who reflected on his work establishing a hallmark global surgery program at Vanderbilt University. 

 

During his talk, he addressed the global disparity in health care, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has only 4% of the world’s health care workforce but a quarter of the disease burden. Nigeria’s population tripled from 1978 to 2025, highlighting the growing need for health care providers. Kenya has only 0.5 surgeons per 100,000 people, compared with the United States, which has 7.5 surgeons per 100,000. Pediatric surgery in Kenya faces significant challenges, with only 25 pediatric surgeons for 24 million children. He said initiatives like Vanderbilt’s residency training programs address these gaps, and the impact can be even more significant with programs like MUSC’s.

“Dr. Tarpley shed so much light on the importance of creating sustainable bidirectional global health programs and shared how he built one of the premier global surgery programs in the U.S.,” said Mallah. “Having someone of his magnitude address our community speaks volumes to the growth and impact we are experiencing in our program and highlights an opportunity not only for the impact we can have on the world but also for how this program can improve the compassion and technical competence of our trainees to better care for South Carolinians. It is mutually beneficial, all while doing the right thing.”

A vision to empower, educate, lead

Mallah’s vision for the MUSC Global Surgery Program was clear from the start: to create an environment where residents and medical students could gain hands-on experience in global health while contributing to critical surgical efforts across the globe. The program would bridge gaps in clinical care, education and research; foster bidirectional collaboration; and cultivate future leaders in global surgery who would respond to urgent needs and influence the future of health care delivery locally and globally.

It was an idea that resonated deeply with the students who gathered for that inaugural meeting – students who would soon take the reins and push the program far beyond its humble beginnings.

From inception to impact

What began as a small group of passionate medical students is now a full-fledged program that is making waves in global surgery. The MUSC Global Surgery Program offers a comprehensive global surgery rotation in George, South Africa, and a training environment in Cuenca, Ecuador, with more rotations on the horizon, providing residents and medical students with opportunities to gain practical experience in diverse and often low-resource settings. These rotations are more than just a chance to observe – they are immersive, hands-on experiences that equip students with skills they can carry with them throughout their careers, no matter where they work. Often, the experience is life-changing.

“Providing health care in a different socioeconomic environment setting broadened my perspective not only on the challenges but also the ingenuity it takes to provide effective patient care in these settings,” said Daniel Akyeampong, M.D., a general surgery resident who did a rotation at George Hospital in South Africa. “During my time in South Africa, I was fortunate to be paired with and work closely alongside Dr. Hugo Stark, the chief surgeon in the Western Cape. He not only started the initiative of going into the Southern Cape communities and pioneering his own electronic medical record system, but he’s also a great human being. His focus on patient-centered care is a model for how I want to serve my patients moving forward.”

 

The program’s growth has expanded to involve other departments at MUSC, including Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and, more recently, Urology and Anesthesia, with several other specialties exploring ways they can become involved. Ramin Eskandari, M.D., who now serves as the program’s associate director, is excited for neurosurgery residents to engage with a rotation he is launching with Cape Town and Geroge, South Africa. 

“Engaging in global surgery has been a passion of mine for many years, starting with a personal experience as a patient in my teenage years in a developing country to being a medical student on mission trips and, as one of the first residents to be trained in a novel surgical technique in Mbale, Uganda,” Eskandari explained. “Over the years, I came to value not just the experience of helping those I could help, by taking supplies and lending physical support, but learning how inherently valuable it is to experience surgical training in multiple environments with multiple levels of expertise and resources.” 

He said what Mallah and his team have created  are truly world-class educational opportunities that likely less than 1% of the medical students/residents and faculty get to experience in the US.  

“To think that with the right support, we may have surgical and perioperative training programs in General Surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Anesthesia and Ophthalmology all able to offer their resident trainees opportunities to experience training abroad – this is truly game-changing for MUSC and places our institution in a class and caliber that is recognized internationally.” 

Recognition and achievements

To date, 12 trainees have traveled abroad, and more than 150 medical students have engaged with the program through research opportunities, academic coursework and events. The success of the MUSC Global Surgery Program is measured not only by the number of students and residents involved but also by the accolades  it has received in such a short time. Students participating in the program are gaining recognition for their research and invitations to present at major conferences, such as the Association of Academic Global Surgery, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and the International College of Surgeons annual meetings. Most recently, medical student Shannon Rychener, competing against over 1,000 applicants, was selected for the InciSioN Global Strategic Working Group for Anesthesia.

The program has also expanded its reach by publishing several book chapters and journal articles that serve as educational resources for aspiring global surgeons and those already in practice. These works highlight the program’s commitment to advancing knowledge and offering tangible solutions to global surgery challenges.

Looking toward the future

As the MUSC Global Surgery Program continues to grow, Mallah believes its future is bright. With plans to expand its international partnerships, enhance its curriculum and provide even more opportunities for health care professionals and trainees to become involved in meaningful global health work, the program is poised to further its mission of improving the care of surgical patients in low- and middle-income countries and developed nations alike and empowering the next generation of global health leaders.