Oxford’s Global Surgery Short Course: a commitment to healthcare equity

This year, Kellogg College welcomed participants from across the world for Oxford’s annual global surgery short course, a pioneering programme designed to tackle inequalities in surgical care.

Run by the Oxford University Global Surgery Group and co-led by Professor Kokila Lakhoo, Paediatric Surgeon and Fellow of Kellogg, the course continues to grow in popularity, attracting more than 150 applications in 2025 alone.

Now in its ninth year, the course brought together 40 participants from 21 countries, including surgeons, anaesthetists, policymakers, students and charity workers. Its multidisciplinary format encourages collaboration across specialisms and nations, with faculty drawn from Oxford as well as countries such as Nepal, USA, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Tanzania. Sixteen bursaries were awarded this year to participants from low- and middle-income countries, with Kellogg College funding Dr Swechha Bhatt, House Officer in the Department of Surgery at Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal.

We asked Dr Bhatt for her highlights from the course:

“I first discovered the course through LinkedIn and was fortunate to be accepted. The greatest highlight for me has been the exposure to the world of global surgery, from orthopaedics to paediatrics to humanitarian work I had never even heard of before. It has shown me that small efforts can grow into lasting change, and I am determined to take what I have learnt back to Nepal to make a difference in my own field of vascular surgery.

Dr Bhatt reflected: ‘The highlight for me has been learning that small, practical interventions – such as assessing blood supply in the limbs – can prevent disability and save lives. I am excited to take these lessons back home and apply them in my own community.”

Professor Lakhoo explained the vision at the heart of the programme:

“Our aim is to ensure that wherever we are in the world, healthcare delivery should be the same. This course provides the tools, networks and knowledge to help participants achieve that.’ Participants described the course as transformative, offering exposure to new approaches in global surgery, humanitarian medicine, and healthcare equity.”

What makes Kellogg College the ideal hub for the course?

Kellogg’s international ethos and inclusive setting make it an ideal venue for the course, which blends academic rigour with a spirit of collaboration.

As Professor Lakhoo noted:

“Kellogg was one of the first colleges to offer part-time study, breaking the boundaries in 1992 to make an Oxford education accessible to people who could not afford to live here full time. That ethos of openness remains today. Walking into Kellogg feels like walking into a home, the Hub is open to the public, students mix with the wider community, and that spirit of engagement reflects the very values of global surgery.”

Applications for the 2026 Global Surgery Short Course will open in spring 2026.

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Find out more about the Global Surgery Short Course.

Professor Kokila Lakhoo is a professor of Global Paediatric Surgery and a consultant paediatric surgeon at the University of Oxford and Children’s Hospital in Oxford. She has honorary professorship at 3 African Universities namely, University of CapeTown and University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. Her research profile in paediatric surgery is extensive with emphasis on birth defects, trauma, and tumours. Her research and clinical capacity building collaboration mainly lies with Tanzania, Bangladesh and South Africa. She leads global surgery and directs courses on global surgery for Oxford University. She is the past president of Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS)and the international desk for the British Association for Paediatric Surgeons. She has 8 books, 92 chapters and close to 500 publications to her name.

Dr Swechha Bhatt is a House Officer based in Nepal and a committed advocate for equitable surgical care in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). She has been at the forefront of developing and implementing cost-effective simulation-based training models, ensuring that hands-on surgical education remains accessible even in resource-constrained settings. Through leading numerous workshops and quality improvement initiatives, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation, evidence-based learning, and the advancement of surgical education. Coming from Nepal, a country known for its mountainous terrain, Dr Bhatt has first-hand witnessed the immense challenges patients face in accessing even basic healthcare, let alone surgical services. These realities have fuelled her determination to address disparities and bridge critical gaps in access through her work in global surgery, with particular interests in trauma and vascular surgery. She actively engages in initiatives that expand access to surgical care by driving workforce development, fostering collaboration, and investing in sustainable capacity-building.

Guided by her belief in “growing together,” she has created platforms that empower junior doctors and trainees to develop technical expertise, leadership skills, and professional networks. By confronting inequities head-on and championing collaborative solutions, Dr Bhatt is contributing to a future where surgical care is equitable, sustainable, and accessible to all. With a strong record of leadership, resilience, and innovation, Dr Bhatt now seeks to formally advance her career in global surgery. By deepening her expertise and building international collaborations, she aspires to strengthen surgical systems and champion equitable access to high-quality surgical care, especially in LMICs.