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Scientific Oral Presentations

Professional and Personal Development

Session: Scientific Oral Presentation 1 - Professional and Personal Development

Building ENT Surgical Capacity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): Insights from Global Training Programs

Monday, October 13, 2025

9:48 AM - 9:54 AM EDT

Location: 235-236

Disclosure(s):

Hudson Lin, BA:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Mary Jue Xu, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: To expand the ENT workforce in LMICs, institutions in high-income countries (HICs) have established international fellowships for LMIC trainees. As part of the Global OHNS Initiative, this qualitative study sought to explore the development and implementation of said training programs and capture the authentic experiences of LMIC surgeons during training.

Methods: Focused, semi-structured Zoom interviews were conducted using a grounded theory approach. Participants included five program directors engaging in international teaching and 22 ENT surgeons who trained in a country with a higher World Bank classification. Interviews were open-coded in Dedoose and analyzed to create a formal code book to assess emerging categories.

Results: Three themes emerged from program director interviews: (1) motivations for program development, (2) recruitment of trainees, and (3) program design and structure. For trainees, major themes included (1) reasons for pursuing training, (2) barriers faced in training, and (3) experiences of training.
Directors cited the need for capacity building in LMICs and the opportunities for sustained partnerships as reasons for establishing programs. Recruitment often relied on word-of-mouth, and directors faced challenges in ensuring geographical equity and assessing the quality of prior training. Curricula were modified from HIC models, with some focusing on preparing graduates to establish programs in their home countries.
Trainees identified professional development, social influences, and financial incentives as motivations for training abroad. They encountered common barriers including legal hurdles, low compensation, and cultural differences. Despite these challenges, interviewees leveraged new skills to develop ENT programs back home or find employment in HICs.

Conclusions: This study provides insight into the role of global training programs in ENT capacity-building in LMICs. The findings inform how international training partnerships may better support the inequitable burden of disease in LMICs and the professional goals of ENT surgeons from these regions.

Presenting Author(s)

Hudson Lin, BA

Medical Student
University of California, San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

MZ

Michelle Zhang, BS

Harvard Medical School, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
JL

James R. Lawrence, MPH

Medical Student
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Emma Ann Finnegan

Medical Student
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin , Dublin, Ireland

Disclosure information not submitted.
AF

Annabelle Fischer, BA

Colby College, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
NS

Nidanur Sinanoglu, MD

Hacettepe University, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Tarika Srinivasan, BSA, BA

Medical Student / Research Team Lead
Harvard Medical School / Global OHNS Initiative
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Mary Jue Xu, MD

Assistant Professor
University of California - San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Senior Author(s)

TD

Taseer Din, MBChB, MMed

Sidra Medicine, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.