Historically, surgery has been largely omitted from the global public health discourse. However, conditions ranging from injuries to cancer to complications from childbirth comprise a significant and growing proportion of global death and disability, and all require surgical attention. Nonetheless, surgery still is inaccessible to those who may need it the most: a large portion of the world’s poor.
The Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC) is a collaborative effort between the Harvard teaching hospitals, Harvard Medical School/ Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and Partners In Health (PIH).
Their objective is to advocate for Universal access to safe, affordable surgical and anesthesia care when needed.
Their strategy is two-fold:
Global Surgical Systems Strengthening through Research, Advocacy, and Implementation Science, using the Framework of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery. You can learn more about the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery on their Resources page.
To Produce Leaders in Global Surgical and Health Systems through Research, Advocacy, and Care Delivery. Through the Paul Farmer Global Surgery Fellowships and Research Associate positions, it aims to empower surgeons, surgical trainees and medical students around the world with the skills they need to improve the health of some of the world's most impoverished people.
Their research focuses on surgical and health systems strengthening that is measurable, transparent, and locally-driven.
