Our Fellowships

In addition to his role as Plastic Surgeon-in-Chief, Dr. John Meara is the Director of the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC) at Harvard Medical School. PGSSC is a collaborative effort between the Harvard teaching hospitals, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), and Partners In Health (PIH).

Historically, surgery has been largely omitted from the global public health discourse. However, conditions ranging from injuries, to cancer, to complications from childbirth comprise a significant and growing proportion of global death and disability, and all require surgical attention. Nonetheless, surgery still is inaccessible to those who may need it the most: a large portion of the world’s poor. The objective of the PGSSC is to advocate for universal access to safe, affordable surgical, anesthesia, and ob/gyn care when needed.

The strategy of the PGSSC is twofold:

• Global Surgical Systems Strengthening through Research, Advocacy/Policy, Capacity Building and Implementation Science, using the Framework of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery. You can learn more about the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery on our Resources page.
• To Produce Leaders in Global Surgical and Health Systems through Research, Advocacy, and Care Delivery rooted through social justice and equity. Through the Paul Farmer Global Surgery Fellowships and Research Associate positions, the program aims to empower surgeons, surgical trainees, and medical students around the world with the skills they need to improve the health of some of the world's most impoverished people.

For more information on available fellowships with the PGSSC please visit the website below.