ACS H.O.P.E. Highlights from Clinical Congress 2025

Reception Draws Attention to Collaboration and Impact in Global Surgery

The ACS Health Outreach Program for Equity in Global Surgery (ACS H.O.P.E.®) reception is a consistent highlight of Clinical Congress. This annual gathering brings together the program’s community—including committee members, consortium participants, volunteer travelers, scholarship winners, and award reviewers—for an evening focused on connection, recognition, and encouragement. It provides a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the collective impact of our work in global surgery and reaffirm our shared commitment to advancing equitable surgical care worldwide.

The reception also features presentations from ACS H.O.P.E. Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Award recipients, whose innovative projects and measurable impact continue to inspire and energize the community. Their stories serve as a powerful reminder of the purpose behind this work and the difference that sustained collaboration can make for patients, providers, and health systems around the world.

Surgeons Are Honored with Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards

The Board of Governors Dinner featured the annual ACS/Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards ceremony, honoring surgeons who exemplify extraordinary commitment to service. The 2025 awardees are:

• Linda P. Zhang, MD, FACS—Academic Global Surgeon – Video Presentation
• Ziad C. Sifri, MD, FACS—Surgical Volunteerism, International – Video Presentation
• William Rhodes, MD, FACS—Surgical Humanitarian – Video Presentation
• Thomas Romo III, MD, FACS—Surgical Volunteerism, Domestic – Video Presentation
• Tamara J. Worlton, MD, FACS—Surgical Volunteerism, Military – Video Presentation
• Nathan Brand, MD—Surgical Volunteerism, Resident – Video Presentation

Learn more about these inspiring individuals in the October 2025 issue of the ACS Bulletin.

Submit Nominations for 2026 Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards

Do you know a surgeon who exemplifies an extraordinary commitment to volunteerism or humanitarian service? The ACS/Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards honor individuals whose dedication has made a meaningful and lasting impact through global surgery, domestic outreach, military service, and other humanitarian efforts.

These awards recognize surgeons who embody the highest ideals of the profession—advancing patient care, strengthening communities, and improving access to safe, high-quality surgical care for those in greatest need.

Nomination Deadline: February 23, 2026

Surgeons Advance Global Health Knowledge Through ACS Didactic Course

The Global Health Competencies for Surgeons Didactic Course remains an integral component of the ACS Clinical Congress program, offering surgeons a full day of structured learning and the opportunity to earn up to six AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. The course equips participants with essential knowledge and practical strategies to support responsible and ethical global surgical engagement, with content focused on sustainability, partnership development, and the role of surgery within global health systems.

The 2025 course engaged 43 participants and 25 faculty, reflecting growing interest in global surgery and the strong commitment of ACS members to advancing equitable, high-quality surgical care worldwide.

“Global surgery is not just about providing care—it is about building systems and partnerships that endure,” noted one course faculty member, underscoring the importance of long-term, sustainable engagement in global health initiatives.

The ACS H.O.P.E. team is grateful for all faculty who contributed to the 2025 course and especially for the course chairs, Jennifer Rickard, MD, MPH, FACS, and Edgar Rodas, MD, FACS.

Global Engagement Panel Outlines Pathways for Surgeon Involvement Worldwide

The Global Engagement Panel Session at Clinical Congress 2025 convened ACS H.O.P.E. leaders and volunteers committed to expanding global access to safe, high-quality surgical care. Panelists provided updates on key ACS H.O.P.E. initiatives, highlighted successful international collaborations across surgical subspecialties, and shared practical strategies for building sustainable surgical systems in resource-limited settings.

Discussion centered on core principles of ethical engagement, local capacity building, and long-term partnership development. Panelists also outlined meaningful pathways for surgeon involvement through education, research, and volunteer service. Attendees left the session energized and equipped with actionable insights, inspired to contribute to a shared vision of a future in which safe, timely, and affordable surgical care is accessible to all.

Special thanks to the following panelists:

• Moderator: Henri Ford, MD, MHA, FACS—ACS Past President
• Moderator: Girma Tefera, MD FACS—Medical Director of ACS H.O.P.E.
• Fayrouz Abu-Hamdan, MD—2024 ACS H.O.P.E. Resident Research Scholarship winner
• Theresa Chin, MD FACS—Committee on Global Engagement Domestic Subcommittee Chair
• Yoseph B. Godebo, MD—Surgical oncologist, Hawassa University in Ethiopia
• Chihena Hansini H. Banda, MD—Plastic surgeon, University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia
• Valerie W. Rusch, MD, FACS—ACS H.O.P.E. lead for cardiothoracic surgery activities in Kigali, Rwanda and Hawassa, Ethiopia, ACS Past President
• Arun Gosain, MD, FACS—Plastic surgeon and global surgery expert in Chicago, Illinois
• Katherine Y. Kane, MD, FACS—ACS H.O.P.E. lead for vascular surgery activities in Kigali, Rwanda
• Khoa Thomas A. Pham, MD, FACS—ACS H.O.P.E. lead for transplant surgery activities in Lusaka, Zambia
• Christopher Dodgion, MD, FACS—ACS H.O.P.E. Hawassa Council Chair
• Muriel A. Cleary, MD, FACS—ACS H.O.P.E. lead for pediatric surgery and research activities in Lusaka, Zambia

Session Reinforces Importance of Reciprocity, Respect, and Shared Commitment

The Innovation Theater session, “Global Collaboration in Health Training: A Two-Way Street,” underscored the critical importance of mutual exchange in global surgical education. Led by Raymond R. Price, MD, FACS, the session highlighted how thoughtfully designed partnerships between visiting and host institutions create shared learning opportunities, strengthen local capacity, and support sustainable, long-term impact.

Through discussion and practical examples, attendees explored strategies for building equitable collaborations that benefit all stakeholders. The session reinforced a core principle of responsible global engagement: global health training is most effective when grounded in reciprocity, respect, and a shared commitment to excellence in patient care and education.

Special thanks to the following panelists:

• Raymond R. Price, MD, FACS (moderator)—Vice chair, global affairs, University of Utah Center for Global Surgery in Salt Lake City, Past Chair of the ACS Committee on Global Engagement Advocacy Subcommittee
• Barnabas Alayande, MBBS, PgDTh, MBA, FMCS—Co-chair, Center for Equity in Global Surgery, University of Global Health Equity in Butaro, Rwanda
• Rondi Kauffmann, MD, MPH, FACS—Vice chair of global surgery, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Chair of the ACS Committee on Global Engagement Advocacy Subcommittee
• Hallie Koch—Congressional lobbyist, ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy
• Amy Ramirez, MA—Executive director of Global Learning and International Services, Center for Global Engagement, University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Tamara Worlton, MD, FACS, FASMBS—Director of global surgery, Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland