Research Bursary Program
Supervisor Project Proposal for Summer 2015
Supervisor Last Name: EMIL
Supervisor First Name: Sherif
McGill Dept/School: Pediatric Surgery
Faculty Professor (Full, Associate or Assistant): Full
Email: Sherif.Emil@McGill.ca
Phone No. (optional): 514 412 4497
Research Field: Pediatric Surgery Workforce
Proposal No. (1 or 2): 2
Research Location (McGill or affiliated institution): The Montreal Children’s Hospital;
Ethics approval will be required for proposed project (Yes/No): Yes
Proposed project will involve chart reviews (Yes/No): No
Project Title (maximum 1 line):
Pediatric surgical workforce and training efforts in Africa – current status and future needs.
Hypothesis/Question to be Addressed (maximum 4 lines):
There is a significant deficit of pediatric surgeons across Africa, and the current training programs will only result
in modest increases in this number. The study will attempt to inform future training efforts by gathering and
analyzing data from as many African countries as possible on both current human resources as well as existing
training programs.
Hypothesis: Current human resources and training programs are insufficient to meet the pediatric surgical
needs across Africa.
Specific Aims (maximum 10 lines):
1. Gather all information on current pediatric surgical workforce in Africa, by region and country
2. Collect information on all existing training programs and workshops in pediatric surgery across Africa
3. Identify key geographical deficits in human resources and training in Africa in order to inform advocacy
projects towards increasing training in the subspecialty.
Role of Student (maximum 15 lines):
1. Perform an extensive literature search and create a database of all currently available evidence and the
grade of evidence available on the subject.
2. Prepare a paper and online survey covering key aspects of national pediatric surgical workforce and
training capacity.
3. Deliver the survey both electronically and at key pediatric surgical meetings/conferences.
4. Analyze the data in a software package
5. Prepare a presentation for an international meeting and write a manuscript using the data acquired under
the mentorship of the primary investigator.
The student will be co-supervised by Drs. Sherif Emil and Dr. Dan Poenaru. Dr. Emil is Director of Pediatric Surgery
at the MCH, has made several mission trips to Africa, and has a strong interest in global pediatric surgery. Dr.
Poenaru, an attending staff pediatric surgeons at the MCH, has spent 10 years in Africa, has created the first
pediatric surgery training program in east Africa, and is a leader in global pediatric surgery.