Please join us in extending sincere thanks and gratitude for Dr. Peter O’Brien’s and Dr. Dan Poenaru’s contributions to the Branch for Global Surgical Care over the years. They have been instrumental in helping guide our learners on their understanding of designing and implementing a global surgical care research project and alleviating the global burden of surgical disability.
Dr. Peter O’Brien was a co-instructor of SURG 560 – Global Surgical Care Field Practicum since 2019, along with Dr. Emilie Joos. He has helped mentor and guide students in developing and implementing their final research projects for the Master of Global Surgical Care. Dr. O’Brien is a dedicated orthopaedic surgeon committed to using his skills and knowledge of medicine to aid the underserved, and to help transform orthopaedic trauma care within Uganda. Dr. O’Brien is an Associate Professor at the UBC and a practicing Orthopaedic Trauma surgeon at the Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver. He is the author of numerous publications, including research articles evaluating the economic impact of musculoskeletal injuries on individuals and their families in low and middle income countries.
He is an active participant and organizer of the Uganda Sustainable Trauma Orthopaedic Program (USTOP). For the past 12 years Dr. O’Brien has been involved in educational programs in the orthopaedic resident training program in Uganda. USTOP provides clinical teaching and educational courses for health care practitioners at Mulago Hospital in Kampala.
Dr. Poenaru was a co-instructor of SURG 512- Global Disability: A Surgical Care Mandate for twelve years, since the course launch in 2012, along with Dr. Norgrove Penny.
He brought richness to the discussions with his experience and knowledge from twelve years of working in Africa with various organizations including BethanyKids International, Rotary International, Operation Smile, and Kids Alive. Dr. Poenaru contributed to the establishment of East Africa’s first pediatric surgery fellowship training program. He was clinical director of BethanyKids Africa, a faith- based organization providing care to children with surgical disabilities. He is a founding member of the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS) and dean of Université Shalom Bunia Faculté de Médecine, DRC.
Dr. Poenaru is a FRQS- and CIHR-funded investigator in global pediatric surgery and patient-centred surgical care. He is the director of the Jean-Martin Laberge Fellowship in Global Pediatric Surgery, Research Committee chair for the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS), and director-at-large and Research Committee co-chair of the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS).
Thank you Dr. O’Brien and Dr. Poenaru for your significant contributions to the field of global surgical care and especially the time you served as instructors at BGSC and for all your have done to enrich the learning of our students.
Best wishes to you both on your future endeavours and we hope you will keep in touch!