ObjectiveAfrica has the second highest neurosurgical workforce deficit globally and many medical students in Africa lack exposure to the field. This study aims to assess the impact of a neurosurgical rotation during medical school in shaping the perception and interest of students toward a career in neurosurgery.Study DesignCross-sectional study.MethodsA Google form e-survey was disseminated to African clinical medical students between February 21st and March 20th, 2021. Data on exposure and length of neurosurgical rotation and perception of, and interest in, neurosurgery were collected. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and adjusted logistic regression modeling.ResultsData was received from 539 students in 30 African countries (30/54, 55.6%). The majority of participants were male and were from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. Most students had undertaken a formal neurosurgery rotation, of which the majority reported a rotation length of 4 weeks or less. Students who had more than 4 weeks of neurosurgical exposure were more likely to express a career interest in neurosurgery than those without [odds ratio (OR) = 1.75, p < 0.04] and men were more likely to express interest in a neurosurgical career compared to women (OR = 3.22, p < 0.001), after adjusting for other factors.ConclusionNeurosurgical exposure is a key determinant in shaping the perception and interest of medical students toward a career in neurosurgery. Our findings support the need: i) for a continent-wide, standardized curriculum guide to neurosurgical rotations and ii) to advocate for gender inclusivity in education and policy-making efforts across the African continent.

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Background Africa bears >15% of the global burden of neurosurgical disease. Yet to date, Africa still has the lowest neurosurgical workforce density globally, and efforts to fill this gap by 2030 need to be multiplied. Although the past decade has seen an increase in neurosurgery residency programs in the continent, it is unclear how these residency programs are similar or viable. This study aims to highlight the current status of neurosurgical training in Africa as well as the differences within departments, countries or African regions. Methods A literature search using keywords related to ‘neurosurgery’, ‘training’, and ‘Africa’ and relevant names of African countries will be performed on PubMed and Google Scholar. If unavailable online, the authors will contact local neurosurgeons at identified training programmes for their curricula. The residency curricula collected will be analysed against a standardized and validated medical education curriculum viability tool. Results The primary aim will be the description of African neurosurgical curricula. In addition, the authors will perform a comparative analysis of the identified African neurosurgical curricula using a standardized and validated medical education curriculum viability tool. Discussion This study will be the first to evaluate the current landscape of neurosurgery training in Africa and will highlight pertinent themes that may be used to guide further research. The findings will inform health system strengthening efforts by local training programme directors, governments, policymakers and stakeholders.

A common tactic to alleviate current gaps is to donate medical equipment to low-resource areas, however, there is a dearth of recorded experience and evaluation. Providing accessible equipment to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is a crucial component of the attempts to improve access to neurosurgery in African nations; yet, the necessity of promoting neurosurgical equipment in Africa and the effects of these programs have not yet been assessed. Therefore, our goal was to evaluate the extent, advantages and sustainability of the gift of neurosurgical equipment in Africa. A scoping review covering both scholarly and gray literature was used. Selected databases from the time of inception to September 2022 were searched using a search strategy customized for the study title. All studies that addressed the donation of neurosurgical equipment to Africa were given special attention, along with any factors that increased the likelihood of donations and included, but not limited to, agreements signed during the donation. Finally, participating authors also reviewed articles randomly selected to ensure homogeneity. Donating equipment positively impacts neurosurgical units in LMICs, growing their practices while also enhancing safety, quality and affordability. Collaborations between LMICs and HICs (High Income Countries) also make it more likely that the donated neurosurgical equipment will be used to satisfy recipients' needs. Lastly, to guarantee the most advantage, proper follow-up, consideration of equipment durability, maintenance requirements and increased assistance for repairs should be prioritized.

Introduction Africa has the second highest neurosurgical workforce deficit globally. Despite the many recent advancements in increasing neurosurgical access in Africa, published reports have shown that the vast majority of undergraduate students have little or no exposure to neurosurgery. The lack of exposure may pose a challenge in reducing the neurosurgical workforce deficit, which is one of the long-term strategies of tackling the unmet burden of disease. Students may also miss the opportunity to appreciate the specialty and its demands as well as nurture their interest in the field. This study aims to assess the impact of a neurosurgical rotation during medical school in shaping the perception and interest of students towards a career in neurosurgery. Methods The cross-sectional study will be conducted through the dissemination of a self-administered e-survey hosted on Google Forms from 21st February 2021 to 20th March 2021. The survey will contain five-point Likert scale, multiple-choice and free-text questions. The structured questionnaire will have four sections with 27 items: (i) socio-demographic background, (ii) neurosurgical experience, (iii) perception towards a neurosurgical career and (iv) interest in a neurosurgical career. All consenting medical students in African medical schools who are in their clinical years (defined as fourth to sixth years or higher years of study) will be eligible. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Welch t-test and adjusted logistic regression models will be used to test for associations between independent and dependent variables. Statistical significance will be accepted at P < 0.05.

Background: While excess adiposity is positively associated with ovarian cancer risk, the relationship with patient prognosis remains to be fully elucidated, especially with regard to changes over time during survivorship. Methods: We assembled a retrospective cohort of tumor registry confirmed ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer cases and evaluated peri- and post-diagnosis (±30 days and up to 5 years after, respectively) body mass index (BMI) from electronic medical records (EMR) from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Associations with overall survival (OS) were quantified by Hazards Ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from Cox proportional hazards regression; multivariable adjustment included age, stage, grade, histologic subtype, treatment, race, and year of diagnosis. Results: We evaluated 13,676 peri- and post-diagnosis BMI observations for 616 predominantly Caucasian (87.0%) cases; the majority had serous histology (62.5%), advanced stage (58.1% Stage III or IV), high grade (52.4% poorly or undifferentiated) disease. Compared to peri-diagnosis (median =29.0), BMI was lowest 6 months post-diagnosis (median=27.4) and then gradually increased over time among survivors. In multivariable adjusted models, each 5-unit increase in mean peri-diagnosis BMI corresponded with a nonsignificant increase (HR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.97-1.18) while higher mean post-diagnosis BMI corresponded to a significantly decreased risk of death (HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.84-1.00). Adjusted models that incorporated all peri- and post-diagnosis BMI observations evaluated indicated that each 5-unit increase in BMI was associated with a 15% reduced risk of death (HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.77-0.94). Conclusions: Whereas lower adiposity may be beneficial in terms of risk, higher adiposity appears to benefit ovarian cancer survival. Factors including cancer cachexia, weight loss among ill patients, and weight gain among survivors may contribute to this seemingly protective association. Additional research to disentangle the influence of BMI on ovarian cancer outcomes and inform adiposity guidance for ovarian cancer survivors is needed. Citation Format: Alicia Beeghly-Fadiel, Sharon Phillips, George Bukenya, Pranoti Pradhan, Sara Duque, Nneka Anyanwu, Deok-Soo Son, Andrew J. Wilson, Demetra H. Hufnagel, Marta A. Crispens. Body mass index and ovarian cancer: Changes after diagnosis and associations with overall survival [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3228.

Introduction Africa has the second-highest neurosurgical workforce deficit globally, and many medical students in Africa lack exposure to the field. This study aims to assess the impact of a neurosurgical rotation during medical school in shaping the perception and interest of students towards a career in neurosurgery. Method This is a continental, multi-centre, cross-sectional study. A Google form e-survey was disseminated to African clinical medical students between February 21st and March 20th, 2021. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and adjusted logistic regression modelling. Results Data was received from 539 students in 30 African countries (n=30/54, 55.6%). The majority of participants were male (n=289/539, 53.6%) and were from Kenya (n=83/539, 15.4%). Most students had undertaken a clinical neurosurgery rotation (n=278/539, 51.6%); the majority reported a rotation length of four weeks or less (n=181/278, 65.1%). Students with clinical experience were less likely to pursue the specialty (p=0.02) and had a stronger perception that it is more difficult for women to pursue neurosurgery (p=0.0001) when compared to those without clinical experience. However, after adjusting for other factors, students with greater than four weeks of neurosurgical exposure were more likely to express a career interest in neurosurgery (odds ratio [OR]=1.75, p<0.04) and men were more likely to express interest in a neurosurgical career compared to women (OR=3.22, p<0.001). Conclusions Our findings support standardised, continent-wide, curriculum development, and advocacy supporting improved gender inclusivity in education and policymaking to improve the quality of neurosurgical exposure during medical school and help tackle the neurosurgical workforce deficit across Africa.