CHESA Fellow Spotlight: Dr. Emmanuel Bua

Dr. Emmanuel Bua found the CHESA fellowship at a time when he was seeking mentorship, coaching, and direction in his surgical career. He saw a leadership deficit in Uganda that he wanted to address. In his first year of the fellowship, his project focused on education and mentorship. Dr. Bua partnered with HEAL fellow Dr. Saad Sahi to build a training center and residency program at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda. He also mentored residents and started a journal club.

Looking to year two, Dr. Bua plans to research the barriers to surgical care. He also plans to set up a student surgical club to introduce students to global surgery and organize camps for skills transfer. Finally, he looks forward to connecting and collaborating with fellows from other countries.

Reflecting on lessons learned, Dr. Bua shared, “My life is changing. I’m looking beyond disease. Previously, my focus was just disease and how to treat and how to operate. Now, every time I treat a patient, I look beyond their disease and look at their social life and how they came to fall sick, and what can be done at the higher level.”