Department of Surgery

Faculty of Medicine

Outreach

To develop collaborative projects in low resource settings that contribute to enriched patient care in our department and for our partners

The Department of Surgery has a long history of involvement in surgical outreach activities. The GSO is committed to promoting and supporting new and ongoing initiatives. Faculty looking to engage in outreach activities can utilize the GSO resources to help identify existing partnerships or to access limited funding for support of personal initiatives. 

Canada-Rwanda Open Heart Project (CR-OP)

In 2019, Dr. Keir Stewart (Division of Cardiac Surgery) initiated the Canada Rwanda-Open Heart Program, with King Faisal Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda to support the countries Cardiac Surgery program for adult and pediatric patients. Despite delays brought about by COVID-19 travel restrictions, renewed discussion and in-person meetings were held in Kigali in March, 2022. In May, a multi-disciplinary team of 30 medical professionals including Surgery, Cardiology, Anesthesiology, Nursing and Perfusion traveled to Rwanda for two weeks. Lead by CR-OP Directors Drs. Kier Stewart and David Horne, the team performed 13 cardiac adult and pediatric surgeries alongside Dr. Maurice Musoni (Rwandan Surgeon) and the King Faisal cardiac team. While in Kigali, CR-OP volunteers participated in additional training and education activities. After this initial success, the CR-OP initiative is now planning their next visit to Rwanda in early 2023. The GSO is excited to promote and support this exciting collaboration. For more information please see the CR-OP website.