This project involves a collaborative surgical engagement in Santiago, Chile, designed to establish a durable partnership between the Chilean Surgical Society, and the Global Surgery Program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The visit will combine direct patient care, shared operative experiences, academic exchange, and strategic planning for long-term collaboration.
During the engagement, MUSC faculty will work alongside Chilean surgeons in the operating room and clinics, providing care to patients with unmet or delayed surgical needs while participating in joint case discussions and perioperative decision-making. These shared clinical activities will emphasize evidence-based, resource-appropriate surgical care and patient safety, with a strong focus on quality outcomes and continuity of care.
By centering the engagement on patient care while building institutional relationships, this project will improve access to high-quality surgical services during the visit and lay the foundation for a long-standing, equitable partnership that advances surgical education and care delivery in both Chile and the United States.
The primary beneficiaries of this project are patients in Santiago who experience barriers to timely, high-quality surgical care, including long wait times, limited subspecialty access, or fragmented referral pathways. Many of these patients rely on public or safety-net hospital systems and face delays that can worsen surgical disease and outcomes. By providing direct clinical care during the engagement, the project will address immediate patient needs while modeling collaborative, patient-centered surgical practice.
Secondary beneficiaries include surgical trainees, nurses, and allied health professionals at the host institution. These individuals will participate in shared operative cases, clinical rounds, and educational sessions, strengthening local capacity and reinforcing best practices in perioperative care. Trainees will benefit from exposure to diverse surgical approaches and mentorship relationships that extend beyond the visit.
Finally, MUSC trainees and faculty will benefit through reciprocal learning—gaining insight into Chile’s health system, surgical innovation, and approaches to delivering high-quality care within different resource and policy environments. This bidirectional exchange ensures that the population served is not limited to a single site, but rather encompasses patients and providers across both institutions, with patient outcomes as the central priority.
In the short term, the project will result in tangible patient impact through direct surgical and clinical care, reducing delays for selected patients and improving access to specialized expertise. Joint case management and shared decision-making will enhance the quality and safety of care delivered during the engagement.
Long-term impact will be achieved through the relationships and structures established during the visit. Formal connections with the Chilean Surgical Society and the host hospital will support ongoing collaboration, including future surgical missions, virtual case conferences, trainee exchanges, and joint research initiatives. Clinical protocols, educational materials, and quality-improvement insights developed collaboratively will be shared across institutions.
Upon return, MUSC faculty will integrate lessons learned into the Global Surgery Program’s educational offerings, resident teaching, and program development. These insights will inform future international partnerships and strengthen MUSC’s commitment to ethical, patient-centered global surgical engagement. Ultimately, the project creates a sustainable framework in which patient care remains central, while knowledge and capacity continue to grow well beyond the initial visit.
We connected with several surgeons from neurosurgery, orthopedics, and general surgery
