RECAP: CHESA Grand Rounds – Asynchronous Laparoscopic Simulation Training in East Africa
Expanding Access to Laparoscopic Surgery in East Africa: Highlights from CHESA Grand Rounds
Our recent CHESA Grand Rounds showcased an inspiring cross-country collaboration to advance laparoscopic simulation training in East Africa. The session highlighted the work of surgical leaders driving access to minimally invasive surgery—improving patient outcomes and strengthening surgical capacity in the region.
Speakers included Dr. Larry Akoko (MUHAS, Tanzania), Dr. Nathan Brand (UCSF), Dr. Ronald Mbiine (Makerere University, Uganda), and Dr. Julián Varas (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), each sharing progress and lessons from their work building laparoscopic simulation labs and training programs.
Dr. Varas outlined the critical components of effective simulation-based training: robust infrastructure, structured curricula, and skilled instructors. He demonstrated how Chile’s C1DO1 LAPP platform enables asynchronous learning, video-based feedback, and scalable skill-building—training over 800 trainees across Latin America annually.
Dr. Brand, a former CHESA and GloCal fellow, shared the vision behind the East Africa LAPP Lab Initiative, launched in partnership with MUHAS, Makerere University, UCSF, and Pontificia Universidad Católica . Despite laparoscopic equipment being present in many East African hospitals, utilization remains low—often fewer than five cases per week. The team aims to bridge this gap by building high-quality, accessible simulation labs integrated into surgical training programs.
Since opening in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 2022, the lab has registered over 40 surgeons, delivered 1,400+ hours of training, and provided 3,282 pieces of individual feedback—a testament to the impact of hands-on simulation.
Dr. Mbiine shared progress on establishing a similar lab at Makerere University in Uganda, laying the groundwork for a sustainable laparoscopic surgery training program.
Dr. Akoko worked with Dr. Brand to launch the lab at MUHAS in Tanzania and highlighted the challenges—limited local training, costly equipment, and low uptake—but also the immense potential for growth, thanks to global partnerships and local leadership.
This collaborative effort is a promising model for advancing surgical training and patient care across East Africa.
Watch the video recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE_DRFGyCpE
Read more in the related publication:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44186-024-00308-8
Speaker Biographies:
- Larry Akoko, MD, MMed: Associate Professor of Surgery at MUHAS, Consultant Surgical Oncologist at Muhimbili National Hospital, President of the Tanzanian Surgical Association and Tanzania’s first fellowship-trained surgical oncologist. He co-founded the MUHAS laparoscopic simulation lab and is a CHESA leadership committee member.
- Nathan Brand, MD, MS: UCSF general surgery resident and GloCal and CHESA Fellow alumni whose research focuses on global surgical oncology. He worked with partners to launch the East Africa LAPP Lab Initiative at MUHAS in Tanzania, now expanded to Makerere University in Uganda.
- Ronald Mbiine, MBChB, MMed: Ugandan general surgeon and senior lecturer at Makerere University. Specializing in GI surgery, endoscopy, and minimally invasive procedures, he trains future surgeons at Mulago Hospital and serves on the National Executive Council of the Association of Surgeons of Uganda.
- Julián Varas, MD, MS: Dr. Varas is Associate Professor of Surgery at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile’s Faculty of Medicine. He serves as the Vice Chair of the Simulation and Experimental Surgery Center at the university. Dr. Varas specializes in surgical simulation, focusing on reducing human error through enhanced training and feedback mechanisms.
