Job Description

Position: Pediatric Surgery Faculty

Job Title: Faculty, Pediatric Surgery

Reports to: Head, Department of Surgery

Group/Department: Department of Surgery / Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Global Health Equity (UGHE)

Location: Primarily Butaro Campus and Butaro Level II Teaching Hospital, with frequent travel to Kigali and other teaching sites in Rwanda

Position Overview

The Faculty of Pediatric Surgery will play a key role in advancing UGHE’s mission to deliver equitable, high-quality medical education and surgical care for children. The faculty member will contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, clinical pediatric surgical service delivery, research, and global surgery initiatives focused on children’s surgical care.

The Pediatric Surgery faculty member will actively participate in clinical teaching at Butaro Level II Teaching Hospital and affiliated training sites, contribute to curriculum development in pediatric surgery, mentor students and trainees, and support the implementation of the General Surgery Residency Program aligned with COSECSA standards, including strengthening pediatric surgical training exposure.

The ideal candidate is highly self-motivated, academically productive, and committed to surgical education, research, and strengthening pediatric surgical capacity in resource-limited settings. The individual must be organized, collaborative, adaptable, and passionate about improving access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care for children.

Responsibilities

Undergraduate Medical Education

• Contribute to curriculum, syllabus, and content development in pediatric surgery across the MBBS/MGHD curriculum.
• Deliver lectures, small group sessions, simulation-based teaching, and bedside clinical instruction.
• Provide clinical supervision to medical students during surgery clerkships, with emphasis on pediatric surgical conditions.
• Participate in student assessment (OSCEs, written exams, workplace-based assessments).
• Supervise and mentor undergraduate research projects.
• Coordinate pediatric surgery teaching activities with visiting and adjunct faculty.
• Collaborate with affiliated hospitals to ensure effective delivery of pediatric surgical education.
• Ensure quality and consistency of clinical teaching across all rotation sites.
• Provide leadership for pediatric surgery modules or thematic blocks as assigned.
• Participate in direct patient care as part of clinical teaching responsibilities.

Postgraduate and Residency Education

• Contribute to implementation of competency-based training aligned with COSECSA standards.
• Ensure quality supervision of residents rotating through pediatric surgery.
• Provide structured clinical supervision in neonatal and pediatric surgical care.
• Participate in WBAs, logbook reviews, case discussions, and operative competency assessments.
• Contribute to exam preparation for COSECSA membership and fellowship examinations.
• Mentor residents in clinical practice, research, leadership, and professionalism.
• Participate in M&M conferences, journal clubs, and academic rounds.
• Support development of simulation-based training for pediatric surgical procedures.
• Contribute to accreditation and quality assurance processes.
• Support development of pediatric surgery training pathways within UGHE programs.

Clinical Service Delivery

• Support and scale-up of comprehensive pediatric surgical services at Butaro Level II Teaching Hospital, including:
• Pediatric general surgery and emergency care
• Pediatric Oncologic Surgery
• Strengthen systems for perioperative care of children, including anesthesia, critical care, and nutrition.
• Develop and implement clinical protocols, safety standards, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Support multidisciplinary care involving pediatrics, anesthesia, nursing, and allied health professionals.
• Strengthen referral systems and district-level capacity for pediatric surgical care.
• Participate in on-call coverage and emergency pediatric surgical services.

Research and Scholarship

• Initiate and support research in pediatric surgery, neonatal surgery, and global children’s surgery.
• Develop grant proposals, research publications, and technical reports.
• Mentor students and residents in research activities.
• Conduct implementation and operational research focused on improving access to pediatric surgical care in Rwanda and similar settings.

Center for Equity in Global Surgery (CEGS) Activities

• Participate in CEGS academic and administrative activities.
• Contribute to global surgery conferences, seminars, and collaborations.
• Build partnerships with national and international pediatric surgery programs.
• Support grant writing and resource mobilization.
• Advocate for equitable access to surgical care for children.

Institutional Service and Leadership

• Serve on UGHE committees as assigned.
• Contribute to departmental strategy and academic program development.
• Engage in community outreach and child health advocacy initiatives.
• Promote interprofessional education and collaboration.
• Perform other duties as assigned by UGHE leadership.

Qualifications and Skills

Mandatory

• Medical degree (MD, MBBS, or equivalent) from a recognized institution.
• Postgraduate qualification in Pediatric Surgery (Fellowship, MMed, or equivalent recognized specialist qualification).
• Board certification or equivalent specialist recognition in Pediatric Surgery.
• Eligible for medical licensure/registration in Rwanda.
• Demonstrated clinical expertise in pediatric surgical care, including neonatal surgery.
• Experience in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate trainees.
• Demonstrated research experience.
• Commitment to academic medicine and mentorship.
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills in multidisciplinary settings.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

Preferred

• MSc in Public Health, Global Health, or Medical Education.
• Experience in health systems strengthening and surgical capacity building in low-resource settings.
• Experience working in academic medical centers.
• Expertise in research methods and implementation science.
• Experience in competency-based medical education.
• Grant writing experience and peer-reviewed publications.
• Familiarity with COSECSA or similar regional training frameworks.

How to Apply

Applicants should provide: (1) curriculum vitae, (2) Degree, (3) A cover letter describing your interest in UGHE and relevant experience. Please upload these under the ‘Additional Files’ tab on the application page.

University of Global Health Equity is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Organizational Profile

UGHE is a new kind of university focused on training the next generation of global leaders in health care delivery. The university launched in Rwanda in September 2015. Through an academic experience uniquely rooted in the values of equity, students are empowered to both ease suffering at the bedside and drive transformational, systemic changes to the health system.

UGHE is an initiative of Partners In Health (PIH), an internationally recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. In over nearly three decades of operating alongside public sectors in countries around the world, PIH has developed a model to deliver high quality healthcare to some of the world’s most marginalized communities. Nowhere has this impact been more profound than in Rwanda, where Inshuti Mu Buzima—PIH’s sister organization—and our government partners have driven innovation for a decade.

Members of the UGHE community are tenacious and resolute in our drive to attain social justice, make common cause with those in need, listen to and learn from others, and operate with honesty and humility as we uphold academic integrity and intellectual curiosity. The University of Global Health Equity seeks individuals committed to these values to join the team.

Commitment to Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment:

At UGHE, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including community members – as well as our students, contractors, staff, and visitors to our campus are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and any form of systemic abuse, whilst reducing risk and vulnerabilities. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with UGHE’s policy.

UGHE will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of fraud, harassment, sexual harassment and any form of systemic abuse or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.