Abebe Bekele

Abebe Bekele, MD, FCS (ECSA), FACS is the Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) and an Adjunct Professor of Global Health. He holds full professorships in Surgery (General and Thoracic) at Addis Ababa University and the University of Rwanda. His roles include CEO of Black Lion Teaching Hospital, Dean of Addis Ababa University’s School of Medicine, and leadership positions in the College of Surgeons of East Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA).

Research interests focus on equity in global surgery, trauma care, surgical oncology, medical education, and quality healthcare. He advocates for equitable access to surgical care, particularly in underserved regions, and chairs COSECSA’s Examinations and Credentials Committee. Editor-in-Chief of the East and Central Africa Journal of Surgery, he collaborates with Duke Global Health Institute to strengthen global surgery partnerships through faculty exchanges and joint research grants.

Awards and recognitions include unspecified regional/international honors. He advises Ethiopia’s Ministry of Sciences and Higher Education and participates in global initiatives like the Saving Lives Through Safe Surgery (SaLTS) program. His educational philosophy emphasizes community-focused training, with UGHE’s curriculum integrating anthropology, history, and hands-on rural clinical experience.