Advocacy & Equity

We believe everyone deserves a healthier life and that change begins by addressing surgical inequities globally. Our mission is to inspire, train, fund, and scale reconstructive surgical teams in low-income countries so that they can provide life-changing care to patients with the greatest need.

Intentionality surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion is also at the heart of our mission, both domestically and internationally. We change the lives of thousands through our training programs, but being a force for change at the policy level has the potential to affect millions.

Our advocacy work brings surgical care to the forefront of competing global health priorities and helps reshape policies to ensure that the most vulnerable people can access their full right to healthcare.

Advocacy

Resurge is proud to be at the forefront of the global surgery movement. Our staff, volunteers, and fellows have contributed numerous peer-reviewed articles to global surgery literature, providing invaluable resources for others.

We also engage with governments and multilateral organizations to prioritize surgery as a cost-effective and indispensable component of health care, working with international medical societies, academia, advocacy groups, and other surgical NGOs.

Gender Equity

There are only three female surgeons for 1 million people in low-income countries. We partnered with SkinCeuticals, a L’Oreal company, to develop the Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery Program (PWRS). This program aims to tackle the gender gap in global surgery by providing surgical training, leadership development, and mentorship for women in low-income countries.

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By the Numbers

Our advocacy and equity work brings surgical care to the forefront of competing global health priorities and strives to close the gender equity gap. Here’s how our advocacy and equity programs impacted the world in 2022.

new lectures added to our free online database

$100,000,00

allocated for neglected surgical conditions and systems in the FY2022 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations through partnerships with global surgery advocates

global health letters signed advocating surgical funding, vaccine equity, and COVID-19 funding

African women surgeons joined the Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery Program

percent of women trainees rose at the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa

$7,500

awarded to aspiring women surgeons through the Matalose Mtonga Annual Scholarship

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Impact in Action

Our advocacy and equity efforts give patients and surgeons in low- and middle-income countries the support they need to impact their communities significantly. Learn more about how our work is changing lives below.