We are committed to fostering a culture of collaboration and empowering the next generation of neurosurgeons with the skills and knowledge to excel in diverse global healthcare landscapes. By facilitating meaningful partnerships, interdisciplinary research initiatives and cross-cultural dialogue, we seek to amplify the collective impact of the global neurosurgical community. We also aim to shape compassionate, skilled neurosurgeons who can navigate and address the complexities of neurosurgical care on a global scale.

Visiting Professor

We integrate key global neurosurgery and global health topics within the existing neurosurgical curriculum with the aim of increasing the expertise among UAB Department of Neurosurgery residents. This includeds both lectures and global visiting professors that provide an important insight into neurosurgery practices around the world. See the 2023 visiting professor.

Global Surgery Journal Club

Journal Club is an initiative held jointly by the UAB Departments of Neurosurgery and Surgery. This monthly meeting was established as a space for sharing various experiences in global surgery among surgeons, students, residents, other members of the UAB team, and visitors from partner hospitals around the world. Journal Club also facilitates opportunities to collaborate and share knowledge with experts across global surgery. Journal Club is open to all interested in learning more about global health. 

UAB Global Health Symposium

The UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health hosted the inaugural UAB Global Health Symposium in September 2023 to bring together healthcare advocates from across the globe. Members from the Global Neurosurgery Program had the opportunity to lead a panel focused on engaging with collaborators, discussing potential ways to bridge the gap in neurosurgical, surgical and oncological training and capacity. View the 2023 Global Health Symposium recap.

SP2024 GHM 680-QL Special Topic: Global Surgery

Global Neurosurgery Program Director James Johnston, M.D., and Program Manager Martina Gonzalez Gomez, M.D., MSc, established a global surgery course available to UAB School of Public Health Master of Science in Global Health students. This course, GHM 680 Special Topics in GHM - Global Surgery, will equip students with an understanding of the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, funding mechanisms, policy advocacy and equity in advancing surgical care worldwide. While students are enrolled in the course, they will experience lectures from global surgery elective course instructors in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and the UAB School of Public Health Master of Science in Global Health (MSGH) program.

To participate as a lecturer in the course, please contact Martina Gonzalez Gomez at mgonzalezgomez@uabmc.edu.

Projects and Publications

Our projects and publications are driven by a commitment to making a tangible impact on patient care, healthcare systems, and the broader field of neurosurgery. We aspire to translate research findings into real-world solutions that improve outcomes and enhance the quality of neurosurgical care worldwide. Through our projects and publications, which have been a collaborative effort with our partners, we aim to share insights, findings and best practices with the global neurosurgical community to foster learning, collaboration and continuous improvement in the field. We are currently working on projects focused on program development and increasing neurosurgical capacity in our partner sites and beyond.

Modular Toolkit

Members of the UAB Global Neurosurgery Program are working to develop a standardized, modular and scalable neurosurgery collaboration toolkit based on institutional and partnership experiences and data-backed best practices. The toolkit consists of downloadable materials and digital resources that can be distributed worldwide to facilitate effective, ethical and equitable neurosurgical collaborations.

Publications