Lavy Group | Global Surgery

OXFORD UNIVERSITY GLOBAL SURGERY GROUP 

The NDORMS Lavy Global Surgery group is part of the Oxford University Global Surgery Group, an interdepartmental group of the Medical Sciences Division for clinicians in surgery, anaesthesia, obstetrics and gynaecology with an interest in global surgical issues. We usually meet weekly on Thursdays at the John Radcliffe Hospital - find out more about regular events and our annual accredited Oxford Global Surgery Course at  www.globalsurgery.ox.ac.uk . 

Some of our Global Surgery research and training projects specifically linked to NDORMS are highlighted below:

SURG-AFRICA (District-level hospital surgery in africa)

SURG-AFRICA is an EC-funded project 2017-2020 into scaling up safe surgery in district hospitals, making it accessible to otherwise neglected rural populations in Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. Find our videos, news and publications here: surgafrica.eu. 

Clubfoot training and research 

We are helping to improve treatment for children born with clubfoot in Africa by improving training capacity for clubfoot instructors and treatment providers in Africa.

• In 2020 we were awarded a further grant from the THET Africa Grants Programme to develop training for treatment of older children with delayed presenting clubfoot.
• In 2015-2017 we led the Africa Clubfoot Training project, initially funded by DFID and THET through the Health Partnership Scheme, and further supported through a clubfoot crowdfunding campaign with OxReach.
• We are also involved with different aspects of clubfoot research - find out more here.

Global musculoskeletal health research

We run Global Musculoskeletal, a Knowledge Sharing Hub on The Global Health Network, to support and encourage research into musculoskeletal health in resource-limited settings through networks, resources and topical discussions. Find out more.   

lancet commission on global surgery

Prof Chris Lavy was a Commissioner for The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery which is working towards "universal access to safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care when needed" by 2030. You can find the report, policy briefs, and news on implementation here.

CURE Children's Hospital of Zimbabwe

Since 2013 Prof Chris Lavy has been working on setting up a new children's orthopaedic unit in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, working with local organisation, Zimbabwe Orthopaedic Trust, and Partners in Medical Care in the UK. The hospital opened in May 2021.

Orthopaedic Research Collaboration in Africa

We are part of the emerging Orthopaedic Research Collaboration in Africa (ORCA), working with other colleagues internationally with an interest in musculoskeletal trauma in Africa. These include AO Alliance Foundation, Orthopaedic Research Unit at University of Cape Town, and Institute for Global Orthopaedics and Trauma University of California San Francisco and Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute. Studies so far include a survey to identify priorities in trauma care research in Africa, and a study on the impact of Covid-19 on trauma services in Africa with more to follow.

COSECSA OXFORD ORTHOPAEDIC LINK (COOL)

We partnered with COSECSA (the College of Surgeons of East Central and Southern Africa) to set up the COSECSA Oxford Orthopaedic Link (COOL) programme 2012-2017 to improve care for trauma and musculoskeletal impairment in Africa through trauma training, orthopaedic surgical training courses, orthopaedic fellowships, and research into aspects of tropical orthopaedics. We also supported the establishment of Women in Surgery Africa. 

The COOL programme was funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) Health Partnership Scheme and Tropical Health Education Trust (THET) and directed by Prof Chris Lavy and Prof Hemant Pandit and managed by Grace Drury. Our COOL publications are here.