UAB Department of Surgery Assistant Professor and Associate Vice Chair for Global Surgery Dr. Lily Gutnik will speak at the Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course and Scientific Writing Workshop at the annual meeting of the College of Surgeons of East, Central & South Africa (COSECSA), sponsored by the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS), in December.

The theme of this year's conference is “Timely Response to Current & Emerging Surgical Challenges on the Continent.” The conference will highlight trauma, cancer management, surgical infections, anesthesia, and efficient access to safe and minimally invasive surgeries in Africa.

Gutnik has a longstanding passion for health disparities research and services, with a primary focus on the impact of breast cancer screenings and early detection in low-resource communities.

As a former Fulbright and Fogarty Fellow in Lilongwe, Malawi, she established and evaluated the efficacy of the country's first breast cancer screening initiative by activating laywomen to become trained breast health workers.

She is currently collaborating on multiple breast cancer projects and initiatives in Tanzania, Malawi, and Nigeria, in addition to the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative.

"I am honored to represent the UAB Department of Surgery and to discuss research methods I have found useful throughout my career in surgery," says Gutnik.

About the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA)

As the largest non-profit surgical training institution in Sub-Saharan Africa, COSECSA fosters education through clinical opportunities in accredited hospitals alongside practicing surgeons.