Global first in surgical training: SURGhub reaches record 19,000 healthcare workers across 190 countries — meeting soaring demand in underserved regions
New report highlights SURGhub’s transformative impact on surgical education in low-resource and conflict-affected regions
Monday, 30 June 2025 - Dublin, Ireland: Marking a major milestone in the fight to close the global surgical education gap - which leaves 93% of people in sub-Saharan Africa and millions more worldwide without access to safe surgical care when needed - a ground-breaking e-learning platform has brought the classroom directly to the homes and clinics of more than 19,000 healthcare workers across 190 countries in just two years.
The majority of the world’s population lacks access to safe, affordable surgical care, a crisis driven in part by a severe shortage of trained surgeons, anaesthetists, obstetricians, and nurses. This shortage is compounded by a chronic lack of accessible, affordable, and context-appropriate training resources - an educational gap that the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub (SURGhub) was specifically created to address.
In a new report published this week, it was revealed that the remote learning system, launched in June 2023, is not just transforming but revolutionizing how surgical, anaesthetic, obstetric, and surgical care professionals in low-resource and conflict-affected regions access high-quality training. This pioneering platform addresses a long-standing crisis that has crippled health systems for decades -bridging a gap that has long left millions without the surgical care they need. By prioritising low-bandwidth delivery, free access, and culturally relevant content, SURGhub is dismantling longstanding barriers of cost, geography, internet access, and language, demonstrating how digital tools can democratize education even in the most challenging environments.
SURGhub is a product of the global surgery community, powered by over 200 volunteers. It is an initiative of the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) supported by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in association with the Johnson and Johnson Foundation.
The platform now hosts over 100 educational courses, contributed by 27 international organisations, with content quality maintained by more than 200 volunteer experts. The impact is particularly visible in countries where surgical education is often out of reach. At least 1,700 learners are based in conflict-affected regions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, and Palestine, with thousands more in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
For learners navigating immense challenges, the platform’s accessibility is transformative. “Where was this platform when I was a resident? When I was struggling? There was nothing to guide me then… I didn’t know where to find readings and references,” said one user, capturing the frustration of years spent searching for reliable training that simply wasn’t there.
Others describe how SURGhub has replaced the unreliable patchwork of internet searches with structured, high-quality, comprehensive courses - available anytime, anywhere. The platform’s intuitive design has been praised for making learning simple and engaging, even in settings with limited internet or power.
Looking ahead, the SURGhub team is focused on scaling this success to meet an even greater need. With more than one million healthcare professionals worldwide lacking access to adequate surgical training, the demand is enormous. Plans are already underway to expand the platform’s educational offerings—both in volume and diversity—and to introduce personalised training tailored to learners’ needs.
“This is what equitable scalability in global health looks like", said Eric O’Flynn, lead author of the report, and Programme Director of Education, Training and Advocacy in the Institute of Global Surgery, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin.
“SURGhub proves that with the right partnerships and the right technology, we can break down barriers that have held back surgical education for generations. Now the task is to take this further -so lifesaving teams, regardless of where they are based, have the tools they need to deliver safe surgical care.”
Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is a member of the GSF Foundation Board. She said: "With SURGhub now reaching more than 19,000 healthcare professionals in over 190 countries, we’re demonstrating how innovative, collaborative approaches can meet the critical needs in surgical education. By expanding access to high-quality training—particularly in low-resource and crisis-affected settings—we’re not only strengthening health systems but also advancing better outcomes for women, families, and communities worldwide. This is the type of scalable, impact-driven solution that global health needs more of."
Expanding content in languages beyond English is also a top priority, as is strengthening the ability to measure how training translates into real-world improvements in clinical practice and patient outcomes. But the challenge, and the opportunity, extends far beyond the platform itself. Continued investment, collaboration, and global partnerships will be critical to achieving SURGhub’s mission of transforming surgical education at scale.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
SURGhub is an initiative of the Global Surgery Foundation and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), supported by the Institute of Global Surgery at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland, and in association with the Johnson & Johnson Foundation
Website: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wjs.12661
About RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is ranked first in the world for its contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being, in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2025.
Founded in 1784 as the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland with responsibility for training surgeons in Ireland, today RCSI is an innovative, not-for-profit, international university exclusively focused on driving improvements in human health worldwide through education, research and engagement.
RCSI is among the top 300 universities worldwide in the World University Rankings (2025) and has been awarded Athena Swan Bronze accreditation for positive gender practice in higher education.
In 2026, RCSI will open a new public engagement space, dedicated to health and well-being, at 118 St Stephen’s Green in Dublin city centre. The space is designed to engage the public in dialogue about living longer, healthier and happier lives through dynamic events and exhibitions. Our aim is to bridge the gap between health sciences research, professional expertise, and public understanding, empowering people to make informed decisions about their health.
Visit the RCSI MyHealth Expert Directory to find the details of our experts across a range of healthcare issues and concerns. Recognising their responsibility to share their knowledge and discoveries to empower people with information that leads them to better health, these clinicians and researchers are willing to engage with the media in their area of expertise.
Journal
World Journal of Surgery
Article Title
Advancing Open-Access Education for the Surgical Team Worldwide: The Development and Rollout of the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub (SURGhub)
Optimizing surgical strategies through a nationwide trial: insights from a Chinese Neurosurgical Journal study
Researchers from China conduct a landmark national study to identify the best surgical strategies for treating unruptured brain aneurysms
image:
ChTUIA, a nationwide landmark study in China, aims to evaluate the optimal surgical management strategies and provide high-quality evidence of clinical practices for UIAs in China.
view moreCredit: Bing Zhao from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China Image Source Link: https://cnjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41016-025-00394-7#Sec12
Unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs), a type of brain aneurysm, are balloon-like bulges found in the brain arteries caused by weakening and thinning of arterial walls. While surgical interventions are risky, UIAs always carry the risk of sudden rupture, which can lead to devastating hemorrhages with significant mortality rates. In China, approximately 7% of total adults suffer from UIAs. However, optimal surgical management strategies for UIAs remain poorly understood due to a lack of large-scale prospective studies in the Chinese population.
To fill this gap, a group of researchers across various medical institutions came together to conduct the first of its kind, the China Treatment Trial for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm (ChTUIA). It is a national, prospective, observational, and multicenter registry study in China that is tracking 25,438 UIA patients across 83 medical centers. The trial is being led by Dr. Kaige Zheng and Dr. Zheng Wen from the Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China and China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China. The protocols of the study were published online in Volume 11, Issue 8 of the Chinese Neurosurgical Journal on April 3, 2025.
“While there is advancement in the imaging techniques for analyzing brain aneurysms, there’s been no large-scale data guiding how best to treat these cases in our population,” explains principal investigator Dr. Zheng. “We believe the ChTUIA will provide vital information to guide patient-specific treatment strategies.”
To evaluate the treatment strategies, the trial will compare outcomes between 26.4% of patients who received microsurgical clipping and 73.6% who had endovascular procedures. Microsurgical clipping is a procedure that involves placing a tiny metal clip at the neck of the aneurysm to prevent blood from entering it. While more invasive, it is potentially more durable than endovascular procedures. Among the patients who received endovascular treatment, most underwent stent-assisted coiling, followed by flow diverter placement and coil embolization with or without balloon assistance.
Furthermore, to analyze the outcomes, the team collected over 874,000 clinical entries, 42,000 radiological scans, and 12,000 biological samples from the patients. The trial uses advanced data integration and centralized review to ensure accuracy and completeness. According to the protocols, the patients will be monitored for at least two years with follow-ups every three to six months. During these follow-ups, the neurological status, recurrence, and adverse events such as stroke or bleeding will be documented.
The primary outcome of the trial is neurological function, which will be measured at two years using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). mRS measures a patient's level of disability or dependence in daily activities following stroke or intervention. Secondary outcomes will include treatment-related complications, cardiovascular events, cost assessments, and mortality.
China’s aging population and high burden of chronic health conditions make the treatment planning for UIAs more complex. Unlike western populations, Chinese patients may respond differently to therapies due to genetic, lifestyle, and clinical variations. ChTUIA is aimed to address this gap by analyzing treatments specific to the Chinese demographics instead of international data. Additionally, the study will also analyze the cost-effectiveness of different procedures, which is a critical aspect of healthcare planning in China.
“We are not just comparing surgical techniques in ChTUIA; we’re developing an entire decision-making framework that will blend clinical outcomes and patient profiles with economic considerations and long-term risks.” explains Dr. Wen.
With the support of China’s National Key Research and Development Program, ChTUIA is expected to influence not only national guidelines but also impact international best practices, especially for the East Asian populations. As the global burden of cerebrovascular disease continues to grow, this landmark study stands out to make a lasting contribution to brain health and evidence-based neurosurgery—paving the way for better treatment and surgical outcomes.
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Reference
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41016-025-00394-7
Journal
Chinese Neurosurgical Journal
Method of Research
Randomized controlled/clinical trial
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Treatment Strategies for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms in The Chinese Population: China Treatment Trial for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm (ChTUIA)
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