Why Join AAGS ?
The Association of Academic Global Surgery (AAGS) is the leading international community advancing surgical healthcare through education, research, advocacy, and equitable collaboration. Our members — surgeons, anesthetists, obstetricians, nurses, epidemiologists, engineers, researchers, trainees, and beyond from every region — share a commitment to translating evidence into action to reduce surgical inequities worldwide.
Why AAGS Matters
We aim to address the distinct challenges of academic global surgery:
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Building equitable partnerships with shared governance, authorship equity, and mutual capacity building.
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Ensuring local leadership and representation in research, policy, and program design.
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Navigating funding, protected time, and promotion criteria that value global work and implementation science.
The Value of Membership
AAGS is here to support you at every stage of your career—from student to senior faculty—with practical tools, mentorship, and a community that turns insights into implementation. Together, we work to close surgical access gaps and turn scholarship into real-world improvements.
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Mentorship
Connect with established leaders and emerging voices in academic global surgery.
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Networking
Build collaborations that span institutions, specialties, and continents.
Leadership Opportunities
Serve on committees, working groups, and governance bodies that shape the field.
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Publishing & Scholarship
Contribute to global surgery literature and gain visibility through AAGS platforms.
Education & Training
Access courses, workshops, and resources tailored to academic global surgery.
Advocacy
Join a collective voice advancing equity, representation, program development , and system-level change toward safe, timely, affordable care.
Community
Belong to a supportive, diverse, and global network of peers committed to reducing surgical inequities.
AAGS is a space to form meaningful collaborations, connect with global peers, mentor and be mentored, and shape the future of academic global surgery. Our members build networks that span continents, foster lifelong friendships, and drive collective action that strengthens surgical systems worldwide.
Why AAGS When Many Societies Already Exist?
Many surgical societies contribute to advancing clinical practice and professional development. What sets AAGS apart is its academic mission in global surgery.
We exist to promote academic principles within global surgery;—organizing and cultivating programs thatprograms that that will build equitable access to surgical healthcare for all.strengthen education, research, and equitable partnerships. While Unlike broader surgical organizations may have dedicated global surgery work streams, AAGS is solely focused on advancing the visibility and importance of academic global surgery as a discipline in its own right. We create pathways to develop the next generation of global leaders, —serving as the dedicated academic home for global surgery.
