Program Overview

Introduction to the Global Surgery Track

The Global Surgery Track of the general surgery residency is a seven-year academic program that incorporates weekly global surgery didactics throughout the seven years and two years of dedicated global surgery training.

Curriculum Overview

The two global-specific training years are split and occur after the PGY2 and PGY5 years. This program is designed to prepare surgeons to skillfully face emergent scenarios in resource-limited environments.

Curriculum Details

The Global Surgery Track (NRMP#C2) incorporates two years of training to not only build an excellent general surgery foundation but also confer a rural and international medicine perspective, develop surgical skills in multiple specialties beyond general surgery, and allow time for extensive research and advocacy work.

Training Structure

• The first-year General Surgery Global Surgery track resident (GS-1 year) follows the clinical PGY-2 year, serving to introduce the fellow to global surgery issues and clinical skills necessary in resource-limited environments.
• The second-year General Surgery Global Surgery track resident (GS-2 year) follows the clinical fifth year of their training.
  • As a board-eligible surgeon, the senior resident will both mentor residents and provide much-needed surgical care in rural and international settings.

Rotations

Residents complete diverse rotations throughout their two years of training, including:

• Baylor College of Medicine: National School of Tropical Medicine (Houston, Texas)
  • Essential Surgery Skills Course
  • Tropical Medicine Diploma Course
• Burn Surgery
  • Galveston, Texas
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • Houston, Texas
• International Surgery
  • La Paz, Bolivia
  • Cuenca, Ecuador
  • Alexandria, Cairo, and Menouf, Egypt
  • Chichicastenango, Guatemala
  • Bomet, Kakuma, and Lodwar, Kenya
  • Lilongwe, Malawi
  • Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • Lima, Peru
  • Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Cape Town, South Africa
  • Sengerema, Tanzania
  • Kampala, Uganda
  • Da Nang, Vietnam
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Houston, Texas
  • Lilongwe, Malawi
• Orthopedic Surgery (Houston, Texas)
• Otolaryngology (Houston, Texas)
• Pediatric Surgery (Columbus, Ohio)
• Point-of-care and Procedural Ultrasound (Houston, Texas)
• Research
• Urology (Houston, Texas)
• World Health Organization Internship (Geneva, Switzerland)

Didactics and Research

• Wednesdays throughout the year are reserved for research and didactics.
• While rotating locally, residents participate in an extensive Global Surgery didactic schedule.
• Examples of Global Surgery didactic modules include:
  • The establishment of a field hospital
  • Approach to natural disasters
  • Cultural considerations to medical care
  • Economic evaluation of volunteerism

Additional Educational Opportunities

In addition, residents may choose to complete either a Master's in Public Health at The University of Texas School of Public Health, the Diploma Course in Tropical Medicine or the Diploma Course in Tropical Surgery from the National School of Tropical Medicine.