MEET THE
SPEAKERS
DR SAFA ALI
Obstetrician-Gynaecologist, Sudan
Dr. Safa Ali is a Sudanese physician and a dedicated advocate for maternal and child health care. She has been at
the forefront of improving access to healthcare services for displaced populations in Khartoum, Sudan, focusing
particularly on vulnerable women and children. Her work emphasizes ensuring quality healthcare, addressing
systemic barriers to access, and promoting equitable health services in the region.
During her tenure as the manager of Saudi Hospital in Omdurman, Dr. Ali spearheaded numerous initiatives to
enhance healthcare delivery in underserved areas. She implemented programs aimed at improving maternal
health outcomes, increasing vaccination rates for children, and providing essential care to displaced families. Her
leadership and vision have made the hospital a cornerstone for maternal and child health care services, serving
both locals and displaced populations with compassion and excellence. In addition to her managerial role, Dr. Ali has played an active part in research initiatives focused on identifying the social determinants impacting healthcare access. Her work has informed targeted interventions aimed at alleviating healthcare inequities, with an emphasis on sustainable and community-driven solutions. She has collaborated with researchers, policymakers, and community leaders to bridge gaps in service delivery and advocate for inclusive policies.
Dr. Safa Ali’s remarkable contributions to healthcare and her commitment to empowering communities have
earned her global recognition. In 2024, she was honoured as one of the BBC 100 Most Influential Women,
highlighting her impact on maternal and child health care and her role as a changemaker in Sudan. Her dedication extends to mentoring young healthcare professionals and fostering a culture of innovation, empathy, and accountability in the medical field. Through her tireless efforts, she continues to inspire transformative changes within Sudan’s healthcare system, paving the way for a future where every mother and child has access to high-quality and equitable health care.
PROFESSOR EMMANUEL MAKASA
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon & Global Health Diplomat, Zambia
Professor Emmanuel Malabo Makasa is a Global Health/Global Surgery Consultant, an Academician, a Researcher and an experienced Clinician. He is the founding Executive Director of the Southern Africa Development Community’s University of Witwatersrand based regional-hub and collaboration Centre for Surgical Healthcare Improvement (WITSSURG) and its spoke, the Centre for Surgical Healthcare Research (CSHR) in the Republic of Zambia. He chairs SADC’s Technical Experts Working Group on surgical healthcare, the Partnerships Subcommittee of the Pan-African Surgical Health Forum (PASHeF) and he is the current Secretary General of the International Federation of Surgical Colleges (IFSC). Professor Makasa is a member of the Medical Education and Research Board of the Zambia Medical Association (ZMA MERB), he is a committee member of the Zambia Orthopaedics and Trauma Association (ZOTA) and he also on the board of Trustee for The Lusaka Orthopaedics Research and Education Trust (LORET), Community Without Borders - Zambian Chapter and Africa Directions (AD).
Professor Emmanuel M Makasa has extensive experience in global health diplomacy, in regional and national surgical (peri-operative) health policy formulation and implementation and he has worked as a senior health systems manager, as honorary lecturer and as a specialist clinician in orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery. He is passionate about improving surgical healthcare in LMIC and has a track record of mobilising and coordinating multiple state and none-state actor stakeholders and partners within the United Nations Systems, in the Global Health/Global Surgery community, health professional groups and within clinical care around surgical systems and service delivery improvement. He has presented on and he has published on safe, timely, equitable, appropriate and affordable universal access to surgical (peri-operative) healthcare in Africa and beyond.
DR NG JUN JIE
Vascular Surgeon, Singapore
Dr Ng Jun Jie is a consultant in vascular and endovascular surgery at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS). He is also an Associate Professor at the Department of Surgery in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Dr Ng graduated from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore in 2010 and started his general surgery residency in the same year. During his general surgery residency, he developed a great interest in the field of vascular surgery. He completed his general surgery residency and obtained his fellowship with the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in 2018. He was awarded the highest scorer in his fellowship examinations. Dr Ng has recently completed a fellowship in complex aortic surgery at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London. He is extremely committed to providing the best care to his patients and won the Outstanding Junior Doctor award when he was rotated to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) in 2018. Besides excelling in clinical care, Dr Ng is also an avid educator. As a testament to his dedication to teaching, Dr Ng has won multiple teaching awards, including the Junior Doctor Teaching Award and the Special Recognition Award (2019).
Dr Ng has been involved in multiple surgical humanitarian trips around Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and Myanmar. He will be joining our trainee panel discussion.
MR NOEL ARUPARAYIL
General Surgeon, UK
Mr Noel Aruparayil is post CCT fellow in HPB surgery at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He is the past president of GASOC and now supports on the board of directors. He has over 10 years of involvement in Global Surgery and currently leads Innovations in Global Surgery organisation. He was the past NIHR Clinical Fellow with Global Health Research Group - Surgical Technologies and PhD candidate at University of Leeds.
MISS MHAIRI COLLIE OBE
Colorectal Surgeon, UK
Mhairi Collie OBE is a consultant surgeon in Edinburgh. Since 2001 she has regularly undertaken surgery in sub Saharan Africa to treat women with childbirth injuries. She initially worked for Médecins sans Frontières, then co-founded the charity Uganda Childbirth Injury Fund. She is the author of the book "The Bright Fabric of Life".
MR MIKE MCKIRDY
General Surgeon, UK, SCOTTISH GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP UNIT
The NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme aims to increase NHS Scotland’s global health contribution, by making it easier for all NHS staff to participate in global citizenship, both here in Scotland and overseas, through the provision of guidance, co-ordination and support. The Programme reflects and supports our existing international
development commitments to our partner countries, as set out in the Scottish Government’s International Development Strategy, in particular our commitment to support capacity strengthening in the area of health.
DR PATRICK SEIGNE
Consultant Anaesthetist, Ireland
Dr Patrick Seigne is a consultant anaesthetist. He will be talking about collaborative work between the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland (CAI) and the College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (CANECSA).
DR HANNAH RAVAL
Speciality Registrar in Obstetrics-Gynaecology, The Grange University Hospital
Dr Hannah Raval is an ST4 trainee in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a strong interest in global women’s health. Alongside her clinical training, she has undertaken a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and PG Cert in Global Health and Leadership. She has volunteered as a doctor in rural South Africa and has completed an NHS Improving Global Health Fellowship in Zambia.
She has experience in global health education, running the Introduction to Global Health course for Cardiff University medical students for the past four years, where she holds an Honorary Clinical Lectureship. Recently, she delivered advanced obstetrics and gynaecology teaching in Sierra Leone and continues to engage in international projects.
She has served as the O&G representative for GASOC and now sits on the RCOG Global Health Trainees Committee, helping to develop a Global Health Curriculum for O&G trainees. Passionate about widening access to global health opportunities, her long-term goal is to combine her clinical and educational interests to inspire and support future trainees in this field. Hannah will be joining our trainee panel discussion.
DR REEMA PATEL
Specialty Registrar in Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Scotland
Dr Reema Patel is a dual Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia trainee in South East Scotland. She is past Anaesthesia Representative (2018-2020) and past President (2021-2022) of GASOC and is the current International Fellow at the Association of Anaesthetists. She has completed observerships in Cambodia and a Global Health Fellowship in Ethiopia along with teaching SAFE (Safer Anaesthesia from Education) courses in Ghana. Reema has an interest in medical education and is currently the trainee education representative of the Scottish Intensive Care Society. Reema will be joining our trainee panel discussion.
Outside of work, Reema is being kept busy on maternity leave. She is a functional fitness fanatic and enjoys spending time with her family including her Golden Retriever, Logan.
PURCHASE
YOUR TICKET
Join us in Glasgow, UK or online, for the GASOC International Conference 2025 and take part in a global celebration of collaboration and progress in global surgery.
Your ticket gives you access to talks, workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities with colleagues and leaders from around the world.
We look forward to welcoming you to this milestone event.
We thank our sponsors:
