The Lifebox McCaskey Safe Surgery Fellows are Ethiopian clinical leaders who have shown interest and leadership in promoting surgical safety teamwork in their country. They are appointed for a year and work together as a team to develop a quality improvement project that requires a multidisciplinary team approach. In addition, they support relevant Lifebox programs and training courses, work alongside Ethiopian surgical mentors to make surgery safer at their own facilities and beyond.
Each Fellow is expected to dedicate 2-3 days each month to participate in presentations and workshops. Fellows are assigned mentors from within their profession to support and guide them on all of the activities, including conducting monthly workshops and presentations. With the goal of creating a cohort of champions to contribute positively to the culture of how surgical teams in Ethiopia perform, the program aims to provide the Fellows with relevant knowledge and skills, through:
- Monthly Presentations on a range of topics, from personal development to technical safety topics.
- Practical sessions on conducting research site visits to design quality improvement projects and support facility implementation.
- Discussion and analysis of global surgery publications.
Michael McCaskey, the original founder of the Lifebox McCaskey Safe Surgery Fellows program, was an American sports executive and the chairman of the Chicago Bears in the National Football League from 1999 until 2011. Inspired by his experience in the Peace Corps, Michael sought to make the vision of safer surgery in Ethiopia come through through the Fellows program.
