We aim to collaborate with scholars who have expertise in various domains of philosophy and clinical practice. Below is an overview of the core committee of the GBC project.
Karel-Bart Celie, MD
Dr. Celie has received formal training in both medicine and philosophy. He received his undergraduate degree in philosophy (honors) from Boston College, and has augmented this background with a masters degree in ethics from the University of Oxford. He received his medical degree from Columbia University in 2019, and is currently completing his training in reconstructive plastic surgery. He is passionate about global health/global surgery and served as a Global Surgery Fellow with Operation Smile between 2022-2024. Dr. Celie conceived of the GBC project and serves as its Chair.
Kokila Lakhoo, PhD, FRCS (Edin+Eng), FCS(SA), FCS(PAED), MRCPCH (UK), MBCHB
Dr. Lakhoo is a professor of Global Paediatric Surgery and a consultant paediatric surgeon at the University of Oxford and Children’s Hospital in Oxford. She has honorary professorships at 3 African Universities namely, University of CapeTown and University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania. Her research profile in paediatric surgery is extensive with emphasis on birth defects, trauma, and tumours. Her research and clinical capacity building collaboration mainly lies with Tanzania, Bangladesh, and South Africa. She leads global surgery and directs courses on global surgery for Oxford University. She is the immediate past president of Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS) and the international desk for the British Association for Paediatric Surgeons. She has 6 books, 92 chapters and close to 400 publications to her name..
Ruben Ayala, MD, MSc
Dr. Ayala has more than 30 years of experience in advocacy and humanitarian assistance. He has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Operation Smile, where he oversaw work in over 40 countries. He currently serves as Operation Smile’s Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, where he leads health policy efforts to promote access to safe, timely, and effective surgical care to underserved communities around the world. In addition to these commitments, he is a board member and a past president of the G4 alliance.