With over 60 Vanderbilt University faculty involved in global surgery efforts, Vanderbilt is a hub of excellence for the now essential role of surgery within global public health. Within the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, faculty, fellows, residents and students affiliated with the departments of anesthesia, critical care, emergency medicine, obstetrics, and all surgical specialties are involved with global surgery efforts, including prehospital care, resuscitation, emergency and essential surgery and critical care. Closely related to these efforts are the VU departmental commitments to implementation and database science, capacity building, sustainable development, and poverty relief at the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, the Owen School of Management, the Peabody School of Education, and the the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Biostatistics, Medicine (Division of Epidemiology), and Biomedical Informatics. The Vanderbilt Global Surgery Initiative (VGSI) thus evolved from existing long-term involvement with and commitment to global surgery within the Vanderbilt community. VGSI is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration to provide safe surgical and anesthesia care to many around the world.
