The Master of Global Surgical Care (MGSC) is an online 2-year, 30-credit specialized program designed to prepare surgical care professionals from many disciplines to address surgical challenges and contribute to solutions in low-resource settings globally.

The program provides a strong foundation for present and future global surgical care professionals by developing knowledge and skills in the interpretation and use of published experience and research, balanced with applied learning in low resource settings. Students complete a practicum, in which they conceptualize and design, at a graduate level, a surgical care project, either in a research or educational development format, for a low resource setting globally, producing practical “on-the-ground” skills. The location of the placement is determined by the student in consultation with a program advisor.
A blended model of practicum-based learning and on-line teaching methods facilitates the participation of candidates from across Canada and around the world.
Program Requirements
The Masters is comprised of eight core courses and one 3-credit elective.
- SURG 510 – Surgical Care in International Health
- SURG 512 – Global Disabilities: A Surgical Care Mandate
- SURG 514 – Surgical Care in Humanitarian Disaster Response
- SURG 516 – Program Planning and Evaluation in Surgical Care Low Resource Settings
- SURG 517 – Clinical Research Methods for Surgical Procedures with Global Surgical Comparisons
- SURG 518 – Surgical Care in Canada’s Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities with Global Comparisons
- SURG 542 – Directed Study in Global Surgical Care
- SURG 560 – Global Surgical Care Field Practicum (6 credits)
- Elective – 3 credits approved by Program Director
Optional: Canadian Low Resource Settings Stream
The MGSC Canadian Low Resource Settings Stream is an interdisciplinary specialized stream. Students can choose to complete the MGSC with an intense focus on the unique issues affecting surgical care in rural and remote low-resource settings in Canada.
In order to complete this stream, students must declare their interest to the Program Director upon entry into the program and must complete the following requirements:
- SURG 542 – Topic selected for Directed Study in Global Surgical Care must be closely connected to Canada and approved by the Program Director as such.
- SURG 560 – Global Surgical Care Field Practicum must be completed in Canada.
Students with an interest in global surgical care but who do not wish to complete the MGSC can enroll in SURG 510 independently of the Master’s Degree.
Career Options
Graduates will be capable of providing leadership in global surgical care initiatives. Courses on project and research methodology and on monitoring and evaluation methodology, together with a supervised field practicum will enable graduates to determine barriers, challenges and opportunities present in unmet surgical care burdens and to propose and facilitate solutions, in partnership with national host colleagues, to these burdens. They will significantly contribute both as prepared participants and as leaders in the discipline. graduates and will be empowered with skills and tools to apply to the field of global surgery in academic, grassroots or non-governmental organizations, or with agencies involved in global surgical care.
MGSC Graduates
Click on photos to read our graduates’ bios.
Roy Hilzenrat, MGSC, MHSc, MD.CM

PGY5 Division of General Surgery, University of British Columbia.
Medical Doctorate (MD.CM), McGill University
Master of Health Sciences (MHSc), University of British Columbia
Master in Global Surgical Care
Serena Kassam, B.A., D.M.D., M.A.

B.A. and D.M.D., Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts
Pediatric Dental Residency, Lutheran Medical Center/ St. Joseph’s’s Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.
Research fellowship,Craniofacial Pediatric Dentistry and Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM), New York University Langone Medical Center, Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, New York, NY
YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in Health and Wellness (2021)
Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC, Division of Pediatric Dentistry, University of British Columbia
Clinical Attending, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC
Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor (and former Pre-doctorate Director, New York University College of Dentistry, Dept. of Pediatric Dentistry
Board Member and Presurgical/Dental Director with Global Smile Foundation
Ryan Falk, BSC, BA, MD, CCFP(ESS), FCFP, DTM&H, MGSC

Master in Global Surgical Care
Adjunct Professor, Department of Surgery, UBC
Clinical Instructor, Rural Family Medicine, UBC
Chair, Continuing Professional Development Committee for ESS at the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada
Member, Interest Group in ESS at the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
Sydney Girard, BSc

Master in Global Surgical Care
Radiation Therapist at Health Sciences North/Horizon Santé-Nord, Sudbury, Ontario
BSc, Radiation Therapy, Laurentian University
Advanced Diploma of Health Sciences in Radiation Therapy, Michener Institute
Certification from the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
David Isa, MD, FRCSC

Master in Global Surgical Care
Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Fellowship, University of Toronto
Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Doctor of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Rupinder Khotar, GenDN, PsychDN, BSCN

Master in Global Surgical Care
OR Nursing Supervisor at St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC
Former President of the Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada (ORNAC)
Former Secretary of the International Federation of Perioperative Nurses (IFPN)
Former Educator, Perioperative Nursing Program, Providence Health Care (PHC)
Godfrey Sama Philipo, MD, MPH, MGSC

Master in Global Surgical Care (MGSC)
Adjunct Professor, the Branch for Global Surgical Care, Department of Surgery, UBC
Global Surgery Fellowship, CHESA), University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
Master of Public Health (MPH), Southern Medical University (SMU), China
Doctor of Medicine (M.D), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania
Co-Founder, International Student Surgical Network (InciSioN)
May Yau, BMRSc, MRT(R), CTIC, BSc

Medical Radiation Technologist at Foothills Medical Centre, Alberta Health Services
Instructor, Diagnostic Imaging, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Master in Global Surgical Care
Bachelor of Medical Radiation Sciences, McMaster University
Ontario College Advanced Diploma in Medical Radiation Sciences – Radiography, Mohawk College