UC Davis Health
Department of Surgery

Global Surgery Work | UC Davis Health

Our Work

The Center for Global Surgery at UC Davis Health integrates efforts across clinical capacity building, research, and education to improve surgical care in resource-limited settings. A wide range of activities are conducted at UC Davis Medical Center including:

  • Global Team

    Global Surgery Research and Capacity Building

    Multiple projects dedicated to global surgery capacity building and research are based at UC Davis, covering a wide range of topics and specialties. Residents have the opportunity to participate in projects and pursue funded research programs during their surgical training.

  • Global Team

    Global Health Didactics for Residents and Medical Students

    Global surgery issues are features in surgery didactics several times per year. Additionally, special sessions are held with visiting faculty throughout campus addressing global surgery and subspecialty topics. 

  • Global Team

    Global Surgery Journal Club

    The center conducts quarterly journal clubs covering topics and issues in global surgery relating to surgery, anesthesia, ob/gyn, and other subspecialty care. Attendance includes residents, medical students, and faculty from the departments of surgery, surgery subspecialties, ob/gyn, anesthesia, and critical care.

  • Global Team

    Resident Global Health Certificate Program

    In conjunction with other department residency program at UC Davis, surgical residents have the opportunity to earn a certificate in global health. This program focuses on critical global health issues and allows residents to acquire the tools necessary to incorporate global health into their careers. 

  • Global Team

    Global Health Grand Rounds

    Throughout the year, faculty and invited visiting faculty give special grand round within the department of surgery discussing global surgery topics.

  • Global Surgery Student Alliance (GSSA) Chapter

    The UC Davis GSSA chapter facilitates medical students interested in global surgery to explore global surgery issues and careers. Our GSSA chapter also collaborates with other chapters throughout California and the U.S. to tackle key problems in global surgery and create new clerkship opportunities.

Global Collaboration

Global Initiative for Children's Surgery
Global Initiative for Children's Surgery

In partnership with Professor Emmanuel Ameh and the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery, we have contributed to several projects focused on improving access and quality of for pediatric surgery globally. 

Projects:

Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery. Global Initiative for Children's Surgery: A Model of Global Collaboration to Advance the Surgical Care of Children
Survey of Surgical Capacity of 4 States in Nigeria
National surgical, obstetric, anesthesia and nursing plan, Nigeria

Muhimbii University of Health and Science
Muhimbii University of Health and Science


In partnership with Muhimbili University of Health and Science and UCSF Global Cancer Program, working on multiple capacity building and research projects on the care of cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa. Topics span surgical oncology outcomes, nutrition, pathology services, and surgical education.

Projects:

Surgical Oncology Curriculum in sub-Shaharn Africa
Building liver tumor treatment capacity through multidisciplinary engagement
Gastric cancer surgery outcomes in Tanzania. 

South African National Cancer Registry
South African National Cancer Registry


In partnership with the South African National Cancer Registry and the Centre for Global Surgery at Stellenbosch University, we are studying gastric cancer epidemiology, treatment, and outcome in sub-Saharan Africa.

Projects:

Incidence of gastric cancer in sub-Saharan Africa
Resection rates of gastric cancer in South Africa

Clinica Esperanza
Clinica Esperanza


In partnership with Clinica Esperanza and local surgeons, we are studying gastric cancer epidemiology and early detection through screening implementation and endoscopy capacity strengthening.

Project:

Gastric Cancer in Roatán, Honduras: Feasibility of a Symptomatic Screening Program and Endoscopy Capacity Assessment for Early Detection of Gastric Cancer in Roatán, Honduras

University Hospital Center Treichville
University Hospital Center Treichville


In partnership with University Hospital Center Treichville and MD Anderson Cancer Center, we are conducting capacity assessment of breast cancer surgical care, cancer patient nutrition, and treatment and outcomes of gastric cancer.

Projects:

Benchmarking breast surgery capacity in Cote d’Ivoire
Gastric cancer incidence and surgical outcomes in Cote d’Iviore

  1. COVIDSurg Collaborative; GlobalSurg Collaborative. SARS-CoV-2 infection and venous thromboembolism after surgery: an international prospective cohort study. Anaesthesia. 2022 Jan;77(1):28-39. doi: 10.1111/anae.15563. Epub 2021 Aug 24. PMID: 34428858; PMCID: PMC8652887.
  2. Gaskill, C.E., Gyedu, A., Stewart, B.et al. Improving Global Surgical Oncology Benchmarks: Defining the Unmet Need for Cancer Surgery in Ghana. World J Surg 45, 2661–2669 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-021-06197-y
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  4. Seyi-Olajide JO, Anderson JE, Williams OM, Faboya O, Amedu JO, Anyanwu SN, Bethuel-Kasimu A, Lawal OA, da Lilly-Tariah OB, Onajin-Obembe B, Farmer DL, Ameh EA. National surgical, obstetric, anaesthesia and nursing plan, Nigeria. Bull World Health Organ. 2021 Dec 1;99(12):883-891. doi: 10.2471/BLT.20.280297. Epub 2021 Sep 28. PMID: 34866684; PMCID: PMC8640693.
  5. COVIDSurg Collaborative, GlobalSurg Collaborative. Timing of surgery following SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international prospective cohort study. Anaesthesia. 2021 Jun;76(6):748-758.
  6. COVIDSurg Collaborative, GlobalSurg Collaborative. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study. Br J Surg. 2021 Mar 24:znab101.
  7. Liu MM, Miller MO, Merrell SB, Bruce JS, Kin C, Morris AM. A comparison of provider perspectives on cultural competency training: A mixed methods study. Am J Surg. 2021 Feb;221(2):356-362. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.11.003. Epub 2020 Nov 6. PMID:33220937.
  8. Seyi-Olajide JO, Anderson JE, Kaseje N, Ozgediz D, Gathuya Z, Poenaru D, Johnson W, Bickler SW, Farmer DL, Lakhoo K, Oldham K, Ameh EA; Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery. Inclusion of Children's Surgery in National Surgical Plans and Child Health Programmes: the need and roadmap from Global Initiative for Children's Surgery. Pediatr Surg Int. 2021 May;37(5):529-537. doi: 10.1007/s00383-020-04813-x. Epub 2021 Jan 5. PMID: 33399928.
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  14. Gadkaree SK, Tollefson TT, Fuller JC, Muchemwa FC, Gonga A, Shaye DA. Role of mobile health on patient enrollment for cleft lip-palate surgery: A comparative study using SMS blast text messaging in Zimbabwe. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2019 Jun 28; 4(4):383-386. PMID: 31453345.
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  17. Miller MO, Trickey AW, Kin CJ, Hawley ST, Paul Abrahamse P, Morris AM. Coordination of Care in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Population-Based Study. J Am Coll Surg. October 2018 Oct;227(4):S141-S142. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2018.07.300.Oct:42(10):3065-3074.
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  19. Shaye DA, Tollefson TT, Shah I, Krishnan G, Matic D, Figari M, Lim TC, Aniruth S, Schubert W. Backward Planning a Craniomaxillofacial Trauma Curriculum for the Surgical Workforce in Low-Resource Settings. World J Surg. 2018 Jun 6. PMID: 29876747.
  20. Goodman LF, Jensen GW, Galante JM, Farmer DL, Taché S. A cross-sectional investigation of the health needs of asylum seekers in a refugee clinic in Germany. BMC Fam Pract. 2018 May 16;19(1):64. doi: 10.1186/s12875-018-0758-x. PMID: 29769017; PMCID: PMC5956552.
  21. Wright NJ, Anderson JE, Ozgediz D, Farmer DL, Banu T. Addressing paediatric surgical care on World Birth Defects Day. Lancet. 2018 Mar 17;391(10125):1019. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30501-4. Epub 2018 Mar 2. PMID: 29506761.
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  24. Saxton AT, Poenaru D, Ozgediz D, Ameh EA, Farmer D, Smith ER, Rice HE. Economic Analysis of Children's Surgical Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Analysis. PLoS One. 2016 Oct 28;11(10):e0165480. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165480. PMID: 27792792; PMCID: PMC5085034.
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  28. Sitkin NA, Ozgediz D, Donkor P, Farmer DL. Congenital anomalies in low- and middle-income countries: the unborn child of global surgery. World J Surg. 2015 Jan;39(1):36-40. doi: 10.1007/s00268-014-2714-9. PMID: 25135175; PMCID: PMC4300430.
  29. Faierman ML, Anderson JE, Assane A, Bendix P, Vaz F, Rose JA, Funzamo C, Bickler SW, Noormahomed EV. Surgical patients travel longer distances than non-surgical patients to receive care at a rural hospital in Mozambique. Int Health. 2015 Jan;7(1):60-6. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihu059. Epub 2014 Aug 17. PMID: 25135818; PMCID: PMC4303773.
  30. Tollefson TT, Shaye D, Durbin-Johnson B, Mehdezadeh O, Mahamva L, Chidzonga M. Cleft Lip-Cleft Palate in Zimbabwe: Estimating the Distribution of the Surgical Burden of Disease Using Geographic Information Systems. The Laryngoscope. 2014 May 27. PubMed PMID: 24867649.
  31. Anderson JE, Erickson A, Funzamo C, Bendix P, Assane A, Rose J, Vaz F, Noormahomed EV, Bickler SW. Surgical conditions account for the majority of admissions to three primary referral hospitals in rural Mozambique. World J Surg. 2014 Apr;38(4):823-9. doi: 10.1007/s00268-013-2366-1. PMID: 24346631; PMCID: PMC4257602.
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  35. Azzie G, Bickler S, Farmer D, Beasley S. Partnerships for developing pediatric surgical care in low-income countries. J Pediatr Surg. 2008 Dec;43(12):2273-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2008.08.062. PMID: 19040951.
  36. Jayaraman SP, Ayzengart AL, Goetz LH, Ozgediz D, Farmer DL. Global health in general surgery residency: a national survey. J Am Coll Surg. 2009 Mar;208(3):426-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2008.11.014. Epub 2009 Jan 21. PMID: 19318005.
  37. Ozgediz D, Wang J, Jayaraman S, Ayzengart A, Jamshidi R, Lipnick M, Mabweijano J, Kaggwa S, Knudson M, Schecter W, Farmer D. Surgical training and global health: initial results of a 5-year partnership with a surgical training program in a low-income country. Arch Surg. 2008 Sep;143(9):860-5; discussion 865. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.143.9.860. PMID: 18794423.
  38. Pham A. Tollefson TT. Cleft deformities in Zimbabwe, Africa: socioeconomic factors, epidemiology, and surgical reconstruction. Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2007 Nov-Dec;9(6):385-91. PMID: 17954508
  39. Tollefson TT, Wong JK, Sykes JM, Larrabee WF. Cleft lip palate deformities in Western China: epidemiology, surgical reconstruction, and cost. Arch Facial Plastic Surg. 2006 Jul-Aug;8(4); 234-9. PMID: 16847168.
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