HGOC Education

Based on feedback from local orthopaedic providers and knowledge gaps identified from our research, we provide orthopaedic education to providers across the globe. We take advantage of both in-person and virtual teaching mediums. Our in-person education includes mentorship of local surgeons, designing and implementing in-person training courses for orthopaedic surgeons and non-physician orthopaedic providers, and teaching by Harvard surgeons in operating theaters.

Virtual Education Conferences

To date, HGOC and our sister non-profit organization SONA Global have partnered to organize numerous free virtual conferences, training 3,000 surgeons from 80 countries, in three languages. Our multilingual, free virtual education conferences with Harvard-affiliated and world-renowned faculty help surgeons around the world gain the knowledge they need to care for complex injuries. These conferences focus on case discussions with special focus on cases performed in resource-limited settings. We have regularly hold conferences on upper and lower extremity trauma, spine, and arthroplasty, with more topics planned for the near future. All our free educational content, recorded lectures, and webinars at available for free here.

If you are interested in getting involved in our conferences, presenting a case, contributing a lecture, or helping with organization, please email us at hgoc.conferences@gmail.com.

Please join our Global Orthopaedic Community on Whatsapp for daily sharing of cases, advice, and resources.

Haitian Annual Assembly of Orthopaedic Trauma (HAAOT), Port-au-Prince, Haiti
HAAOT is an annual conference started in 2013 as a collaboration between the AAOS, the Foundation for Orthopaedic Trauma, Partners in Health, Project Hope, and SIGN Fracture Care International. The HAAOT conference consists of research paper presentations, case discussions, didactic lectures, and workshops, all of which are presented in both English and French. It is the only high-level academic orthopaedic conference in Haiti. It is organized every year in conjunction with the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program alongside all three major orthopedic residency programs in Haiti.

Haitian State Hospital Orthopedic Grand Rounds Series
HGOC is proud to partner with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at La Paix University Hospital in Haiti, Orthopedic Relief Services International (ORSI), and the Foundation for Orthopedic Trauma (FOT) to help produce and disseminate a virtual grand rounds on a variety of orthopaedic topics. All prior sessions are recorded and available here.

International Resident Rotations

Through our network of international partnerships, HGOC has established International Rotations for Harvard Orthopaedic residents. The purpose of these rotations is to train the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons in the United States to have an awareness of the challenges of delivering care in resource limited settings and how they can meaningfully contribute to addressing them. We also aim to create a cross-cultural exchange of ideas between surgeons and trainees in high-income and low-income settings.

HGOC clinical rotations are available in Malawi, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Gambia, with exposure to a variety of orthopaedic sub-specialty practices. Residents are supervised by local staff and Dr. Kiran Agarwal-Harding, HGOC Director. Rotations typically are 2-6 weeks long, during which HGOC visiting residents engage in patient care, clinical teaching, and research alongside their partner nation resident counterparts. Funding is available to cover travel and housing for the visiting residents. Those interested in applying can email us at harvardglobalortho@gmail.com.

Mzuzu Orthopaedic Support & Training (MOST) Program

Malawi is a low-income country in southeastern Africa with severely limited availability of essential trauma and orthopaedic care. HGOC is proud to partner with our orthopaedic colleagues in Malawi since 2016. The Northern Region of Malawi is especially underserved, with a population of 2.3 million people and only one orthopaedic surgeon based in the regional capital city Mzuzu. The MOST Program is an Annual Humanitarian Initiative focused on capacity building activities with the Mzuzu Department of Orthopaedics. Annually, we organize a two-week surgical trip for in-person knowledge and skills exchange between visiting and local orthopaedic staff, all centered around high-quality clinical care of patients with complex musculoskeletal pathology. The two-week trip is augmented by a year-long program of virtual meetings to discuss complex cases and complications, integration into the HGOC-FOT virtual educational programming, and follow-up of all cases to ensure safety and efficacy. If you are interested in participating in the program, please complete an application.