P. N. Fallah1,2, A. Giles2,3, N. Kim2,4, G. Ovsak1, A. Jayaram2,5, A. Mehta2,6, A. Ramirez2,7, M. Still2,8, S. Jayaraman9 1Harvard Medical School,Boston, MA, USA 2Global Surgery Student Alliance (GSSA),Boston, MA, USA 3Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba,Department Of Surgery,Winnipeg, MB, Canada 4Boston Medical Center, Boston University,Department Of Surgery,Boston, MA, USA 5Tufts University School of Medicine,Boston, MA, USA 6Columbia University,Department Of Surgery,New York City, NY, USA 7University of Virginia,Department Of Surgery,Charlottesville, VA, USA 8University of Florida,Department Of Neurosurgery,Gainesville, FL, USA 9Virginia Commonwealth University,Department Of Surgery,Richmond, VA, USA
Introduction: Surgeons, anesthetists, and obstetricians around the world have rallied to the call of global surgery. Medical students and trainees represent an increasing proportion of the productive global surgery work force, particularly in the domains of advocacy, education, and research. Coordination of the global surgery workforce remains an ongoing challenge, and a unifying resource for communication and collaboration has been needed. The Global Surgery Student Alliance (GSSA) created a free, online, editable database with the purpose of creating a network of like-minded individuals who can share experiences and collaborate on projects.
Methods: The database was created for students, residents/trainees, faculty, and others interested or engaged in global surgery using Google Apps Script and is available at www.globalsurgerystudents.org/database. To join, the user enters details about their background, research efforts, and global surgery interests into the fields and then may search the database by any desired parameter to discover others with shared interests who may be offering or seeking collaborative opportunities and are willing work together. The profiles can be edited at any time, allowing the database to be easily updated by each individual user.
Results: The database was created and released at the 2018 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. It has since been distributed through GSSA’s national network in the U.S. and InciSioN’s international network, as well as through various academic channels. At present, it includes 177 profiles from 40 countries (67.3% from medical students and 32.7% from residents or faculty). Interest or experience in general surgery or surgical subspecialties is represented in 87.6% of profiles, while anesthesia is represented in 11.3% and OB/Gyn in 14.1% of profiles. Those currently engaged in global surgery work/research form 41.8% of the profiles, suggesting that 58.2% are seeking opportunities to connect with experienced global surgery trainees and faculty. Since its release in October 2018, over 830 searches have been made using the database resulting in several mentoring relationships and a multinational systematic review project including members from low-income settings.
Conclusion: The global surgery movement has generated a tremendous demand for means of effective collaboration and mentorship. To fill this gap, we created a free, editable, and easily accessible database. Early experiences with this resource have proved promising. Its full potential will be realized with time and further dissemination and engagement across diverse participants.
