We are dedicated to advancing health equity in perioperative care.

The Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia (CHESA) uses research, education and advocacy to improve access to safe surgical, anesthesia and perioperative care in all settings.

Updates & Events

What We're Talking About. Browse our updates, events, and other highlights.

Published: Tue, Nov 25, 2025 RECAP: 2025 CHESA Fellows Retreat

Published: Wed, May 21, 2025 RECAP: World Health Assembly Side Event – Data to Action: How Metrics and Standards Are Improving Patient Safety

Published: Wed, Apr 30, 2025 RECAP: CHESA’s 5th Anniversary Event

Published: Thu, Apr 24, 2025 ARTICLE: Association of Opioid Prescriptions to Children after Discharge from Surgery and New Opioid Prescription Fills in Family Members

Published: Sun, Mar 23, 2025 The Lancet Global Health Commission

Published: Fri, Mar 21, 2025 RECAP: CHESA Grand Rounds – Asynchronous Laparoscopic Simulation Training in East Africa

Published: Thu, Mar 20, 2025 EVENT: CHESA 5th Anniversary Community Event

Published: Fri, Mar 14, 2025 ARTICLE: Correlation of Pediatric Surgical Infrastructure With Clinical and Economic Outcomes

Published: Mon, Mar 03, 2025 Education Spotlight: SMILE 2024 Workshop

Featured Projects

Our faculty and trainee collaborators are continuously providing inspiration to the team. Here are a few recent examples of their work:

Health Equity Curriculum

CHESA and our collaborators from multiple disciplines and institutions are creating a new Health Equity Curriculum for Anesthesia and Surgery trainees.

CHESA Fellowship Expands Its Global Reach

For the 2026-2028 cohort, we welcomed health professionals from 14 countries, supporting emerging leaders in global surgery worldwide.

AAU-UCSF Hypoxia Lab

Led by Drs. Cornelius Sendagire, Michael Lipnick, Fred Bulamba, and Tyler Law, the Uganda Hypoxia Lab is advancing equitable medical device testing in Africa. The lab evaluates technologies such as pulse oximeters in diverse populations, generates locally relevant data, and builds research capacity to help ensure medical devices work well for everyone, everywhere.

Advancing Perioperative Data for Better Care

Our team is developing and advancing data tools to better understand surgical and anesthesia capacity worldwide. Current initiatives include the AFAT facility assessment tool, standardized perioperative metrics, and workforce analyses to identify gaps, inform planning, and strengthen surgical systems.

UCSF Health Equity Pledge

CHESA is an active part of UCSF's initiatives to advance equity in medicine and healthcare.

OpenCriticalCare Project

With support from USAID and STAR and with multiple collaborators, CHESA is creating a new online portal and tools to support oxygen ecosystem strengthening.

Training Opportunities

CHESA has multiple Fellowship and Visiting Scholar pathways designed to support health equity professionals with diverse backgrounds and diverse aspirations.

CHESA Fellows Program

Learn more about our customizable Fellowship pathways and find which one is the right fit for you.

Visiting Scholars Program

Undergraduates, graduate and post-graduate trainees & faculty - there are CHESA pathways for everyone.

Our Work

Research

Our research includes implementation sciences, translational, and basic science work with priorities driven by our partners and the communities we serve.

Training & Education

Our education programs train emerging leaders in health equity and support perioperative workforce training capacity in resource-denied settings.

Advocacy & Policy

Our research & education programs rely on grassroots and high-level advocacy and policy engagement for successful implementation and sustainability.