Prof. Abebe Bekele, MD, FCS (ECSA), FACS, MAMSE, is Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda. He has also served as CEO of the Black Lion Teaching Hospital and Dean of the School of Medicine of Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. He is a Professor of Surgery (General and Thoracic surgery) and has full professor faculty positions at UGHE, the Addis Ababa University and the University of Rwanda. He has received fellowships in Medical Education from the FAIMER institute in Philadelphia and in Simulation-Based Education from the University of Washington. He has graduated in Surgical Leadership from the Harvard Medical School. He has vast experience in medical and surgical education for more than 22 years and has served as visiting professor and external examiner in undergraduate and postgraduate education in Ethiopia, Africa, and North America. He is a fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Master Surgical Educators of the American College of Surgeons.
Prof. Bekele is the Secretary General of the College of Surgeons of East Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) and served as Chairman of the Examinations and Credentials Committee for the past 7 years, He is the and Editor-in-Chief of the East and Central Africa Journal of Surgery and sits on the editorial board of the JAMA health forum and the Ethiopian Medical Journal. He has published more than 100 articles and book chapters and is a recipient of several regional and international awards and recognitions. He serves as a member of the advisory councils and boards of the Ethiopian Ministry of Sciences and Higher Education, the WHO council on Learning and Capacity Building in Health Emergences, the Global Surgery foundation and the African Forum For Research and Education in Health
Prof. Bekele is actively engaged in Global Safe Surgery and has served as a senior advisor to the Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia in the Saving Lives Through Safe Surgery initiative. He is passionate about equitable access to surgical care, care, gender equity in global surgery and surgical education. His research interest includes trauma, surgical oncology, equity in global surgery and education.
Selected publications from PubMed
A synchronous virtual surgical lecture series on cardiothoracic, vascular, oncology, and transplant surgery for surgical trainees in Sub-Saharan Africa: the COSECSA learner perspectives.
Bekele A, Ojomo O, Iradukunda J, Bachheta N, Forbes C, Mukundwa PN, Mithi V, Mwachiro M, Riviello R, Gulilat D, Itungu S, Alayande BT
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Apr 5;25(1):486 doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07059-0.
A plea for urgent action: Addressing the critical shortage of cardiothoracic surgical workforce in the COSECSA region.
Bekele A, Alayande BT, Gulilat D, White RE, Tefera G, Borgstein E
World J Surg. 2024 Sep;48(9):2187-2198 doi: 10.1002/wjs.12278.
Developing a Surgical Simulation Curriculum for the Rwandan Context.
Hey MT, Alayande BT, Masimbi O, Shimelash N, Forbes C, Twizeyimana J, Hamzah R, Lin Y, Riviello R, Bekele A, Anderson GA
J Surg Educ. 2023 Sep;80(9):1268-1276 doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.06.007.
Determining Critical Topics for Undergraduate Surgical Education in Rwanda: Results of a Modified Delphi Process and a Consensus Conference.
Alayande BT, Forbes CW, Iradakunda J, Majyambere JP, Hey MT, Powell BL, Perl J, McCall N, Paul T, Ingabire JA, Shimelash N, Mutabazi E, Kimto EO, Danladi GM, Tubasiime R, Rickard J, Karekezi C, Makiriro G, Bigirimana SP, Harelimana JG, ElSayed A, Ndibanje AJ, Mpirimbanyi C, Masimbi O, Ndayishimiye M, Ntabana F, Haonga BT, Anderson GA, Byringyiro JC, Ntirenganya F, Riviello RR, Bekele A
Cureus. 2023 Aug;15(8):e43625 doi: 10.7759/cureus.43625.
+(1).jpg)
How to prepare for clinical exams (viva voce and OSCE): managing stress, time management, examiner bias and citing literature. With Abebe Bekele.
Published
Jun 2023
The unmet needs for surgical care are widely reported. It is recognized that up to 5 billion people have limited or no access to basic surgical needs. These populations are primarily located in the sub-Saharan region and southeast Asia. According to a report by the World Health Organization, workforce shortage is more critical than infrastructure problems. Training and retaining surgical and anesthesia workforce is a priority for all countries in the sub-Saharan region. The West African College of Surgeons (WACS) and the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) are leaders in the training and credentialing of the surgical workforce in their respective regions. In this broadcast we will learn about the history of these two surgical societies and the provision of surgical care. Women in surgery represent <10% of the surgeons in the region. We will explore the strategies to increase the number of women surgeons. Then the panel will discuss what the role of surgical associations in high-income countries, such as the American College of Surgeons, should be.
With Johnson & Johnson MedTech
Published
May 2022
Help your network discover Prof. Abebe Bekele's clinical expertise.
