Application Deadline for 2025 Thoracic Surgery Foundation Scholarships Is September 15, 2024
In 2023, Dr. Chizoba Efobi was awarded the Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF) International Medical Volunteer Scholarship and used it to participate in a surgical outreach trip to Kampala, Uganda.
Dr. Efobi volunteered at the Uganda Heart Institute, located within the Mulago National Referral Hospital. There, he joined a medical mission group from the US to mentor local healthcare providers. Their goal was to help the local team become more efficient and increase the number of heart surgeries performed each year.
According to Dr. Efobi, what made this mission unique was its capacity to involve the entire heart care team at the Uganda Heart Institute, including cardiology, anesthesia, nursing, and clinical administration. The focus was on teaching, training, and skills transfer rather than the volume of cases performed.
“I observed a different model of upscaling skills and training not limited to surgery, but across the entire field of heartcare,” explained Dr. Efobi. “In this case, skills and knowledge transfer were given the highest priority and guided other activities. The results of the sustained local capacity building were very evident.”
Bringing the Lessons Home
Upon returning home to Nigeria, Dr. Efobi’s participation in the TSF International Medical Volunteer Scholarship positively impacted his hospital, including the recommencement of the open-heart surgery program. Patients are now experiencing “uneventful perioperative periods” discharge within a week and satisfying recoveries.
Learn more about Dr. Efobi’s mission experience as a TSF International Medical Volunteer Scholar in his personal blog.
TSF, the charitable heart of the STS, is currently accepting applications for its 2025 awards season with nearly $1.7 million in available funding. Award categories include research, education, innovation, and humanitarian outreach. The application deadline for most awards is Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.