Connecting clinicians, researchers and trainees to strengthen trauma and surgical systems through global collaboration
Each year, injuries and surgically treatable conditions account for a substantial proportion of preventable deaths worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The Centre for Global Surgery (CGS) at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute) brings together clinicians, researchers and trainees to improve access to safe surgical and trauma care through research, training and global collaboration.
Established in 2011 by trauma surgeons Tarek Razek, MD and Dan Deckelbaum, MD, the Centre is now co-directed by Dr. Deckelbaum and Jeremy Grushka, MD. CGS conducts applied research and delivers training programs aimed at strengthening surgical and trauma systems in resource-limited settings in Canada and globally.
Research, training and system strengthening
CGS activities include health-systems research, development of trauma data systems, education and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen surgical and trauma care delivery. In partnership with local health systems, academic institutions and international organizations across Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Canada’s North, the Centre supports data-driven planning, workforce training and system-level improvements in settings with limited access to care.
Since its creation, CGS has trained over 4,750 individuals from over 85 countries through its training programs, conferences and related activities, strengthening local capacity to address injury and surgically treatable conditions.
“The Centre for Global Surgery aims to improve access to surgical and trauma care in Canada and globally,” said CGS co-director Dr. Deckelbaum, who is a professor of surgery and critical care medicine at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and an associate investigator in the Surgical and Interventional Sciences Program at The Institute. “By leveraging partnerships and innovation, we work with local teams to strengthen surgical systems in low-resource, conflict and disaster settings.”
International collaboration and applied research
Through collaborations with partners such as the Canadian Red Cross and the United Nations, CGS provides technical expertise and training in fragile and conflict-affected settings, including Ukraine and the Middle East. In parallel, CGS integrates applied research into its broader work through digital platforms such as Amber, a trauma data registry that collects clinical information to identify care gaps and inform training, prevention, and policy interventions in collaboration with local institutions.
“By combining hands-on training and mentorship with data-driven approaches, we can equip professionals and first responders with lifesaving skills,” said CGS co-director Dr. Grushka, who is also a trauma surgeon and surgical intensivist at the McGill University Health Centre. “By engaging in fragile and conflict-affected regions as well as low-resource settings, we help strengthen surgical systems where access is most limited.”
Education and training
In addition to its research activities, CGS develops and delivers training programs focused on trauma and disaster preparedness using a multidisciplinary approach. These targeted education initiatives are designed specifically for health professionals and laypersons working in low-resource and fragile settings, with the goal of strengthening local capacity where access to surgical and trauma care is most limited. The CGS course Trauma and Disaster Team Response combines free online lectures hosted on the United Nations platform (UNITAR) with in-person skills training and simulation, delivered worldwide.
Within The Institute, CGS also contributes to research training and education through the Global Surgery concentration in McGill University’s M.Sc. in Surgical and Interventional Sciences (Experimental Surgery). Through this program, trainees engage in research projects related to injury surveillance, trauma systems and global surgical care.
By combining applied research, targeted training and long-standing global partnerships, the Centre for Global Surgery contributes to practical, system-level improvements in surgical and trauma care in low-resource settings in Canada and around the world.
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