Global Engagement

Spotlight: Dr. Martin Bronk

Dr. Martin Bronk recently visited UGHE in Rwanda for three weeks to teach senior medical students during their surgery clerkship. Read his story

Spotlight: Dr. Ana Crawford

Dr. Ana Crawford is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. She has been leading the Global Health Equity program at Stanford’s Department of Anesthesiology for more than a decade. Read the story.

Dr. Charles Lui

General Surgery Resident Dr. Charles Liu talks about his novel rotation with OBGYN learning techniques and procedures valuable in resource-variable settings. Read the story 

Dr. Anna Luan

Meet Dr. Anna Luan, a 5th-year plastic surgery resident at Stanford who worked with ReSurge International during her professional development year between 3rd and 4th years of residency. Anna Luan had very recently won the 2022 AAHS (American Association of Hand Surgery) Annual Research Grant for her project entitled “Application of Machine Learning to Osteoporosis Screening Using Hand Radiographs." Read the story.

Dr. Carlie Arbaugh

Dr. Carlie Arbaugh is back in California after a month-long rotation in Anchorage, Alaska. She had so many interesting experiences and exciting stories to share with us.  Read the story

Dr. Jill Helms

It is more than a topic to highlight, it is a fundamental value that we felt the needed to tackle from unconventional angles. Who better to discuss this with than Dr. Jill Helms, Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Stanford Surgery, Professor - Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Read the story 

Dr. Gifty Kwakye

Gifty Kwakye, MD, MPH, Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Colorectal Surgery at the University of Michigan was recently our visiting presenter at Stanford Surgery’s Grand Rounds.

Dr. Kwakye addressed the challenges faced by patients in Ghana, the country of her birth, with a talk entitled “Cancer Screening: When one Scope Doesn't Fit All." The presentation exposed the hardships and healthcare challenges in Ghana and many resource-poor countries.

We have been talking about her presentation for weeks and wanted to know more. So we decided to talk with Dr. Gifty further. Read the conversation.

ACS HOPE and the Surgical Training Collaborative in Lusaka, Zambia

The American College of Surgeons has committed to creating a global learning space through the launch of the ACS Health Outreach Program for Equity (HOPE).

Part 1: Endocrine Surgeon Dr. Robin Cisco shares her experiences upon returning from the University Teaching Hospital UTH at Lusaka, Zambia.

Part 2: Transplant Surgeon Dr. Tom Pham went to UTH in the hopes of in strengthening and maintaining a renal transplant program there. Read about his experience. 

Part 3: "The team is motivated and excellent to work with, however there is a great need, no doubt about that." Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Anita Mohan shares her UTH experience.

Spotlight: Dr. Rejoice "Fari" Ngongoni

A Q&A with Dr. Rejoice "Fari" Ngongoni, the first Stanford Surgery resident to participate in the international elective rotation in Zimbabwe since the COVID pandemic. Read the story.

Spotlight: Dr. Dung Nguyen

Dr. Dung Nguyen is the Director of Breast Reconstruction and the Associate Director of Microsurgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery at Stanford Medicine. She has participated in numerous international teaching and medical mission trips. We caught up with her to discuss her career and experience.

Read the interview. 

Spotlight: Dr. Nouf Akeel

To establish a pelvic floor center at her hospital in Saudi Arabia, she travelled more than 8,000 miles to learn from the experts at Stanford

Dr. Nouf Akeel, an Associate Professor and Colorectal Surgeon at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was recently a visiting scholar for three months working with Stanford Surgery Clinical Professor Dr. Brooke Gurland and Stanford Surgery’s Pelvic Floor Center. 

Read the story.

Dr. Arash Momeni

A Transformative Journey in Reconstructive Microsurgery; Dr. Arash Momeni talks about his experience as the 2023 Marko Godina Fellowship awardee. Read his story.

Dr. Kathryn Taylor

General Surgery Resident Dr. Kathryn Taylor was the first Stanford Surgery resident to participate in a formal international clinical rotation since the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke with her about her experience and the motivations for participating in such an experience. Read the story.

Dr. Lawrence Cai

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Resident Dr. Lawrence Cai talks about his work abroad during his research year as the Laub Fellow. Read the story 

Dr. Jim Chang

Dr. Chang envisioned training a generation of reconstructive surgeons in lower and middle income (LMIC) countries by teaching them the principles of reconstructive plastic surgery.  These pioneering surgeons would, in turn, train many others, thus building a country’s capacity in reconstructive surgery. Read his story.

Dr. Maia Nofal

The right to access safe, equitable surgical care is unfortunately out of reach for millions of people around the world. Lifebox, a nonprofit focused on improving surgery and anesthesia globally, has been working to tackle these inequities. Lifebox has implemented numerous projects, including the distribution of low-cost pulse oximetry devices and a program to improve surgical infection prevention, among others.

We met with Dr. Maia Nofal, a General Surgery resident at Boston Medical Center who is currently completing a Fogarty Fellowship through the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford while working with Stanford Surgery’s Global Engagement group under the mentorship of Dr. Tom Weiser. Dr Nofal was recently awarded a Seed Grant through CIGH for her study “Antibiotic Timeout” to reduce unnecessary perioperative antibiotic use in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda: a prospective quality improvement. Dr. Nofal is also part of the team implementing the Clean Cut program in Ethiopia.

Read the story.

Spotlight: Dr. Lye-Yeng Wong

Lye-Yeng Wong is a general surgery resident from Oregon Health Sciences University currently in her professional development years working in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. She has been involved in prior global surgery activities and joined the ENTRUST team about 18 months ago under Drs. Cara Liebert and Dana Lin. Read her story 

Dr. Nichole Starr

Fogarty Fellow Dr. Nichole Starr continues Dr. Jared Forrester's work in Ethiopia with the Clean Cut program under the mentorship of Lifebox and Dr. Tom Weiser. Read the story 

A Journey Around the Globe with Dr. Cara Liebert

Dr. Dana Lin and Dr. Cara Liebert are Co-Principal Investigators awarded the Department of Surgery’s first Center for Innovation in Global Health Global Surgery Seed Grant. Mohammed Al Kadhim talks to Dr. Liebert about the ENTRUST Platform for Global Surgical Education and High-Stakes Assessment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Read the story

Dr. Carla Pugh

Talking with Dr. Carla Pugh, Professor of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Director of the Technology Enabled Clinical Improvement (T.E.C.I.) Center, is inspiring. She is the first surgeon in the United States to obtain a PhD in Education, and her work focuses on using technology to change how medical and surgical education is conducted. Her research involves the use of simulation and advanced engineering technologies to develop new approaches for assessing and defining competency in clinical procedural skills.

Dr. Pugh holds three patents on the use of sensor and data acquisition technology to measure and characterize hands-on clinical skills. Currently, over two hundred medical and nursing schools are using one of her sensor-enabled training tools for their students and trainees. She is an international expert on the use of sensors and motion-tracking technology for performance measurement.

Read the interview.

Spotlight on Samantha Steeman

Stanford Medical Student Samantha Steeman spent the summer between first and second years in Ethiopia. Sam had great field experience and published her first first-author paper) in October 2024 with the support of Global Engagement at Stanford Surgery.

Read the story.

Spotlight on Dr. Brendan Visser

Dr. Visser is one of Stanford Surgery’s Global Surgery icons and is active in promoting surgical skills and the strengthening of HPB training and service development on an international scale.

Read the story.

ACS Hope and the Surgical Training Collaborative in Lusaka, Zambia

Global Engagement at Stanford Surgery sponsored the participation of three faculty who volunteered to participate in ACS HOPE and recently completed work on site in Lusaka, Zambia in June of 2024. Drs. Robin Cisco (general and endocrine surgery), Tom Pham (abdominal transplant) and Anita Mohan (plastic, reconstructive, and microsurgery) participated in knowledge and skills expertise transfer with counterparts at UTH over one to two weeks while on site.

Spotlight on Seed Grant Recipient Dr. Samy Bendjemil

Global Seed Grant Recipient & Surgical Critical Care Fellow Dr. Samy Bendjemil recently returned from Burkina Faso. He shares his experience advancing trauma education in the region. 

Read the story.

Meet our First Global Engagement Grand Rounds guest speaker: Dr. Kristin L. Long

On May 7th, Global Engagement hosted Dr. Kristin L. Long, the 2024 Society of University Surgeons (SUS) Global Surgery Scholarship awardee who delivered a talk entitled “Turbulence: Bumps in the Road of Hybrid Global Surgery Efforts.”

Spotlight: Dr. Martin Bronk

Dr. Martin Bronk recently visited UGHE in Rwanda for three weeks to teach senior medical students during their surgery clerkship. Read his story

Spotlight: Dr. Rejoice "Fari" Ngongoni

A Q&A with Dr. Rejoice "Fari" Ngongoni, the first Stanford Surgery resident to participate in the international elective rotation in Zimbabwe since the COVID pandemic. Read the story.

Spotlight: Dr. Dung Nguyen

Dr. Dung Nguyen is the Director of Breast Reconstruction and the Associate Director of Microsurgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery at Stanford Medicine. She has participated in numerous international teaching and medical mission trips. We caught up with her to discuss her career and experience.

Read the interview. 

Spotlight: Dr. Nouf Akeel

To establish a pelvic floor center at her hospital in Saudi Arabia, she travelled more than 8,000 miles to learn from the experts at Stanford

Dr. Nouf Akeel, an Associate Professor and Colorectal Surgeon at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was recently a visiting scholar for three months working with Stanford Surgery Clinical Professor Dr. Brooke Gurland and Stanford Surgery’s Pelvic Floor Center. 

Read the story.

Spotlight: Dr. Lye-Yeng Wong

Lye-Yeng Wong is a general surgery resident from Oregon Health Sciences University currently in her professional development years working in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. She has been involved in prior global surgery activities and joined the ENTRUST team about 18 months ago under Drs. Cara Liebert and Dana Lin. Read her story 

Spotlight: Dr. Ana Crawford

Dr. Ana Crawford is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. She has been leading the Global Health Equity program at Stanford’s Department of Anesthesiology for more than a decade. Read the story.

Dr. Arash Momeni

A Transformative Journey in Reconstructive Microsurgery; Dr. Arash Momeni talks about his experience as the 2023 Marko Godina Fellowship awardee. Read his story.

Dr. Kathryn Taylor

General Surgery Resident Dr. Kathryn Taylor was the first Stanford Surgery resident to participate in a formal international clinical rotation since the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke with her about her experience and the motivations for participating in such an experience. Read the story.

Dr. Jim Chang

Dr. Chang envisioned training a generation of reconstructive surgeons in lower and middle income (LMIC) countries by teaching them the principles of reconstructive plastic surgery.  These pioneering surgeons would, in turn, train many others, thus building a country’s capacity in reconstructive surgery. Read his story.

Dr. Carlie Arbaugh

Dr. Carlie Arbaugh is back in California after a month-long rotation in Anchorage, Alaska. She had so many interesting experiences and exciting stories to share with us.  Read the story

Dr. Charles Lui

General Surgery Resident Dr. Charles Liu talks about his novel rotation with OBGYN learning techniques and procedures valuable in resource-variable settings. Read the story 

Dr. Anna Luan

Meet Dr. Anna Luan, a 5th-year plastic surgery resident at Stanford who worked with ReSurge International during her professional development year between 3rd and 4th years of residency. Anna Luan had very recently won the 2022 AAHS (American Association of Hand Surgery) Annual Research Grant for her project entitled “Application of Machine Learning to Osteoporosis Screening Using Hand Radiographs." Read the story.

A Journey Around the Globe with Dr. Cara Liebert

Dr. Dana Lin and Dr. Cara Liebert are Co-Principal Investigators awarded the Department of Surgery’s first Center for Innovation in Global Health Global Surgery Seed Grant. Mohammed Al Kadhim talks to Dr. Liebert about the ENTRUST Platform for Global Surgical Education and High-Stakes Assessment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Read the story

Dr. Carla Pugh

Talking with Dr. Carla Pugh, Professor of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Director of the Technology Enabled Clinical Improvement (T.E.C.I.) Center, is inspiring. She is the first surgeon in the United States to obtain a PhD in Education, and her work focuses on using technology to change how medical and surgical education is conducted. Her research involves the use of simulation and advanced engineering technologies to develop new approaches for assessing and defining competency in clinical procedural skills.

Dr. Pugh holds three patents on the use of sensor and data acquisition technology to measure and characterize hands-on clinical skills. Currently, over two hundred medical and nursing schools are using one of her sensor-enabled training tools for their students and trainees. She is an international expert on the use of sensors and motion-tracking technology for performance measurement.

Read the interview.

Dr. Jill Helms

It is more than a topic to highlight, it is a fundamental value that we felt the needed to tackle from unconventional angles. Who better to discuss this with than Dr. Jill Helms, Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Stanford Surgery, Professor - Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Read the story 

Dr. Gifty Kwakye

Gifty Kwakye, MD, MPH, Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Colorectal Surgery at the University of Michigan was recently our visiting presenter at Stanford Surgery’s Grand Rounds.

Dr. Kwakye addressed the challenges faced by patients in Ghana, the country of her birth, with a talk entitled “Cancer Screening: When one Scope Doesn't Fit All." The presentation exposed the hardships and healthcare challenges in Ghana and many resource-poor countries.

We have been talking about her presentation for weeks and wanted to know more. So we decided to talk with Dr. Gifty further. Read the conversation.

Dr. Maia Nofal

The right to access safe, equitable surgical care is unfortunately out of reach for millions of people around the world. Lifebox, a nonprofit focused on improving surgery and anesthesia globally, has been working to tackle these inequities. Lifebox has implemented numerous projects, including the distribution of low-cost pulse oximetry devices and a program to improve surgical infection prevention, among others.

We met with Dr. Maia Nofal, a General Surgery resident at Boston Medical Center who is currently completing a Fogarty Fellowship through the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford while working with Stanford Surgery’s Global Engagement group under the mentorship of Dr. Tom Weiser. Dr Nofal was recently awarded a Seed Grant through CIGH for her study “Antibiotic Timeout” to reduce unnecessary perioperative antibiotic use in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda: a prospective quality improvement. Dr. Nofal is also part of the team implementing the Clean Cut program in Ethiopia.

Read the story.

Dr. Nichole Starr

Fogarty Fellow Dr. Nichole Starr continues Dr. Jared Forrester's work in Ethiopia with the Clean Cut program under the mentorship of Lifebox and Dr. Tom Weiser. Read the story