We are pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2023, Dr. Sam Bugis will become the new Director of the Branch for Global Surgical Care.
Dr. Bugis brings a wealth of experience in surgical education and advocacy as well as in global surgical care. Currently, Dr. Bugis is Vice President, Physician Affairs and Specialist Practice, Doctors of BC. He is Board Chair of the Canadian Network for International Surgery and a Fellow and Examiner for the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa.
Dr. Bugis has been a member of the BGSC faculty as a co-instructor SURG 510 since 2021.
We are pleased to announce that effective March 1, 2023, Dr. Faizal Haji took on the role of Graduate Program Director and will be responsible for the administration and leadership of the Graduate Certificate of Global Surgical Care (GCGSC) program and the Master of Global Surgical Care (MGSC) program; including the individual courses and the global surgical care elective housed within the Branch for Global Surgical Care.
Dr. Brian Westerberg was named Director of the Branch for International Surgical Care (now the Branch for Global Surgical Care) in April 2016 following the retirement of Founding Director Dr. Robert Taylor.
Dr. Westerberg served as the Graduate Program Director for the Master and Graduate Certificate in Global Surgical Care since 2018. We would like to thank Dr. Westerberg for serving in this capacity and for his instrumental work in in establishing and ensuring the successful delivery of both programs since their inception and in particular the launching of the Master of Global Surgical Care (MGSC) and seeing the first cohorts graduating in 2021 and 2022.
Dr. Westerberg is leaving his role as Graduate Program Director and Medical Director of the Branch to take on new and exciting responsibilities including Head of the Division of Otolaryngology in the Department of Surgery at UBC.
Dr. Emilie Joos continues on in her key roles as Associate Medical Director of the Branch for Global Surgical Care and Director of the Global Surgery Lab.
Please join us in thanking Dr. Westerberg and warmly welcoming Dr. Bugis and Dr. Haji!