Board of Directors

We are surgeons, leaders, teachers, innovators and doers. We are a group of passionate, like-minded individuals committed to change.  Collectively we possess the surgical, educational, technical, international, collaborative, and organizational experiences demanded to ensure that all people have access to essential surgical care.

 

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Michael Cotton
Founder / Chair

Dr. Michael Cotton is a general surgeon, teacher, and writer. For over 20 years, he practiced surgery in Zimbabwe. During that time, he established a Flying Surgeon service to rural hospitals, led basic surgical practice courses, mentored over 100 surgical trainees, became a Founding Fellow of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), and was the Inaugural Professor of Clinical Practice at the National University of Science & Technology in Bulawayo. He is currently the chief editor of Primary Surgery (2nd ed.). Dr. Cotton leads ICES in overall strategic development.

 

Jaymie Henry
Founder / Executive Director (2013-2014)

Dr. Jaymie Henry is a doctor, writer, public health researcher, and advocate for Global Surgery. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in Manila, Philippines where she realized the great need for basic surgical care and the crucial role it should play in primary health care. She started her training in General Surgery at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Health (Epidemiology) at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, and has worked with the World Health Organization on surgical and trauma care. Dr. Henry develops key partnerships and manages ICES operations and strategic direction.

Robert H.S. Lane
Founder

Dr. Robert Lane is a colorectal surgeon, writer and mentor. For 12 years, on behalf of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland (ASGBI), he has organized basic surgical skills courses and the management of surgical emergencies for surgeons and clinical officers in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Lane was past president of ASGBI and Coloproctology at the Royal Society of Medicine. He is Secretary General of the International Federation of Surgical Colleges (IFSC) and Surgical Advisor to The Tropical Health & Education Trust (THET). Dr. Lane brings his extensive background in training and partnerships in Africa to develop key collaborations for ICES.

 

William Gunn
Founder

Dr. William (Bill) Gunn is a Canadian surgeon and long-time senior international health scientist associated with the World Health Organization. He was Director of WHO’s Emergency Humanitarian Operations and has remained active as member of WHO Advisory Panels on surgical technology and emergencies. Since 1967, Dr. Gunn has persistently striven to instill in the WHO some interest and action concerning surgical matters. Dr. Gunn has authored multiple articles and books on Humanitarian and Disaster Relief issues. He provides expertise in international organizational relations and longstanding experience in advocating for essential surgery to ICES.

Eric Borgstein, MD

Dr. Eric Borgstein is a pediatric surgeon, educator, and leader. For over 20 years, he has worked in Malawi increasing local surgical capacity through education and training. He is currently Professor of Surgery at the University of Malawi College of Medicine and consultant Pediatric surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital where he was instrumental in setting up its current surgical postgraduate training program. Dr. Borgstein is heavily involved in medical student, clinical officer, and intern and surgical resident training. He is on the council of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern africa (COSECSA) and directs one of the few training programs in Pediatric surgery in Subsaharan Africa. Dr. Borgstein is currently working on the COST-Africa project which is an EU FP7 research grant studying surgical training of nonphysician clinicians in Malawi and Zambia. He brings his life’s work and experience in developing world surgical care to ICES

William Thomas
Founder

Dr. William Thomas is a surgeon, writer, teacher, and editor. As the past Senior Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Dr. Thomas designed and established the Basic Surgical Skills Course that is now running in 54 centers in the UK and across the world and the Introduction to Surgical Skills, a modular teaching resource for developing countries, which is now available in over 50 different countries. Dr. Thomas provides technical and strategic leadership in surgical education to ICES.

 

Nyengo Mkandawire

Dr. Nyengo Mkandawire is an orthopedic surgeon and the head of Surgery at the College of Medicine at the University of Malawi. He has authored numerous publications on the state of surgery and surgical capacity in Malawi. Dr. Nyengo is also involved in the training of surgeons and surgical health workers in Malawi as a way to combat the immense burden of surgical disease. He is the past president of the Association of Surgeons of East Africa (ASEA) and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and South Africa.

 

Brenda D’mello, MD, MMED

Dr. Brenda D’mello is an OBGYN, educator, and a passionate advocate for protecting the dignity of women during pregnancy and childbirth. She is currently the technical advisor at the Comprehensive Community-based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), a non-profit dedicated to preventing maternal and child disability through early provision of essential surgical interventions such as cesarean sections and clubfoot repair. Dr. D’mello works closely with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health in improving maternal and child health. She served as a lecturer at the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences for 6 years and led the PMTCT program at ICAP-TZ-Columbia University for 4 years. Dr. D’mello brings her expertise in training midlevel providers emergency surgical obstetric care, particularly cesarean section, to ICES.