Challenge Partner:

Mentorship is a proven strategy in the development of projects and people, helping teams work through problems and answer questions, or receive expert guidance. In addition to the financial support of the Discovery Awards, the winning teams will also receive ongoing mentorship over the next several months. Officials announced a partnership between the Global Surgical Training Challenge and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Discovery Awards virtual event in January 2021 to provide this mentorship. 

Over the next two years, RCSI will lead a structured mentorship program through the discovery phase, as well as the final phase of the Challenge. Eric O’Flynn, the program director for education, training and advocacy at the RCSI Institute for Global Surgery, joined us and shared some of the highlights of this exciting partnership. 

“At RCSI, we’ve long recognized the need to act on the lack of access to safe surgical care for much of the world’s population,” says Mr. O’Flynn. “For many years, we have supported partner organizations and surgical and anesthesia training and practice in low resource contexts, particularly in east, central and southern Africa.”

Established in 1784, RCSI includes the Surgical Training College and the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, with campuses in Ireland, Malaysia, Dubai and Bahrain. Mr. O’Flynn sees this mentorship program as a cross-college initiative, involving the Institute of Global Surgery, Faculty of Simulation, Department of Surgical Affairs and many others, as well as experts from around the world in both high and low resource contexts.

“This broad involvement is intended to bring diverse experience and opinions. This program will also create opportunities for teams to interact with and learn from each other. Building a community of practice, we recognize that the leading experts in this area are indeed the members of the teams awarded today with Discovery Prizes,” said Mr. O’Flynn.

Learn more about the Global Surgery Training Challenge’s Mentorship Program here.