International Guest Scholarships: An investment in surgical training around the globe
For nearly half a century, young surgeons have traveled to the U.S. from as far as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, and New Zealand with a common purpose—an international exchange of surgical practice and research information. International Guest Scholarships (IGS) provide surgeons from around the globe the opportunity to visit clinical, teaching, and research facilities in North America with the goal of enhancing the scholars' patient care practices when they return home. The scholarships, in the amount of $10,000 each, also provide scholars with the opportunity to participate in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) annual Clinical Congress.
Most of these scholarship awards are funded through past and current contributions to the ACS Foundation. Some awards-like the Murray F. Brennan, MD, FACS, International Guest Scholarship-have been established in honor of surgical leaders. Since the IGS program was established in 1968, more than 250 surgeons have been selected to receive the awards.
In this article, three previous International Guest Scholars-Pawanindra Lal, MB, BS, MS, FRCS, FACS, a laparoscopic bariatric and general surgeon from New Delhi, India; Alvaro Sanabria, MD, MSc, PhD, FACS, a head and neck surgeon from Medellin, Colombia; and Rauf Shahbazov, MD, PhD, MRCS, Ed, FEBS, a general and transplant surgeon from Baku, Azerbaijan-describe their experiences at U.S. health care facilities and how this exposure to advanced operative techniques has resulted in improved patient outcomes and safer patient care management in their counties of origin.
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