RECAP: CHESA’s 5th Anniversary Event
On April 22, 2025, CHESA celebrated its 5th anniversary, bringing together our global community both in person and virtually to reflect on our journey, celebrate our accomplishments, and honor the people who drive our mission forward.
The event began with a short video slideshow and welcome from CHESA Director, Dr. Doruk Ozgediz, UCSF Professor of Pediatric Surgery. When CHESA was launched in 2020, we faced a time of great uncertainty. As we find ourselves navigating another rapidly changing landscape today, it is clear that challenges can provide opportunities to reaffirm our mission and strengthen our partnerships. Dr. Ozgediz acknowledged Dr. Ian Bwete, a Ugandan ENT surgeon and CHESA collaborator, who tragically passed during the COVID-19 pandemic. His legacy is an enduring reminder of the importance of our work. Throughout the pandemic, CHESA rose to the occasion, addressing critical needs such as oxygen access. CHESA Anesthesia faculty and partners developed an open-source Oxygen Calculator, a vital critical care tool for resource-variable settings. Some of the most powerful stories of CHESA’s work to address disparities in surgical and anesthetic care includes support for our collaborators and partners who conducted the life-saving separation of conjoined twins in Uganda and established a laparoscopic training lab at Muhimbili University in Tanzania.
We were honored to hear from Dr. Haile Debas, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, founder of IGHS, and CHESA Advisory Board Chair, whose visionary leadership continues to inspire us. Dr. Payam Nahid, Executive Director of IGHS, and Dr. Michael Gropper, Chair of UCSF’s Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, underscored the value of sustained collaboration in expanding our shared impact. CHESA Associate Directors Dr. Michael Lipnick and Dr. Marissa Boeck, reflected on the importance of building an inclusive community and continued dedication to our mission. Dr. Mekdim Siyoum, a CHESA Transplant Surgery Fellow from Ethiopia, spoke about his experience in the fellowship.
To close out the hybrid portion of the event, we worked on a vision board, where participants shared their hopes and dreams for CHESA’s future. Common themes emerged, including sustainable funding and partnerships, expanding our reach to new regions, and synthesizing clinical and research resources across countries.
During the in-person connection time, participants learned more about each other’s work and shared insights and ideas to advance our shared impact.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. We look forward to more milestones together!
Special thanks to the UCSF Community Well-being team for sponsoring this event and our meeting facilitator Kiran Nigam for your support. Thank you to CHESA leadership and team members Marissa Boeck, Doruk Ozgediz, Michael Lipnick, David Bayne, Patti Orozco and Aleena Jacob who helped organize this event.
