A Notre Dame alumnus, guest lecturer in the Master of Science in Global Health program, and international surgical superstar is heralded for his leadership role in the development of the Lancet’s Commission on Global Surgery (LCoGS) which impacts and improves systematic surgical care throughout the world. John G. Meara ’86, MD, served as co-chair of the Commission which was written by a group of 25 leading experts from across the fields of surgery and anesthesia, with contributions from more than 110 countries. The report examines the case for surgery and anesthesia care as an integral component of health care, focusing on low- and middle-income countries, where need is greatest. The Commission produced 5 key messages as well as provided a set of indicators for monitoring and evaluation, recommendations to improve access to safe and affordable surgery and anesthesia, and a policy template for national surgical plans.
Joining Meara this past April 27 and 28 for the international launch of the LCoGS at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, UK, was fellow alumna Katie Kralievits, ‘13 MS ’14. In July 2014, Katie Kralievits began an on-going internship with the Program of Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC) at Harvard Medical School, led by Meara.
During her time with the PGSSC, Kralievits, supported research for the Commission report, focusing on the state of the global blood supply and its impact on surgical care delivery in low resource settings. From her research findings, she submitted an abstract entitled “The Global Blood Supply: A Literature Review” that was accepted for publication in The Lancet alongside the Commission report. Additionally, she co-authored a comment entitled “The blood drought in context” that was accepted for publication in The Lancet Global Health. She was able to present her abstract at both the London Launch and Boston Launch on May 6th of this year. Kralievits is currently working for Partners In Health as a Research Assistant to Dr. Paul Farmer’s team and continues to work with Dr. Meara and the PGSSC.
Meara graduated from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science and went on to medical school at the University of Michigan. He makes annual trips back to campus to lecture and meet with current global health master’s students for advice on career options and opportunities.