By Catherine Wu, Global Health Communications Assistant

Stanford African Scholars in Global Health (SASH) scholar Dr. Abdourahmane Ndong, MD, MPH, PhD, FACS, now in the second phase of the program, recently attended the Annual Conference of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) with his mentor, Dr. Cara Liebert, Stanford Clinical Assistant Professor of General Surgery and the Associate Chair of Education. The 66th annual conference took place from February 8 – 12, in Accra, Ghana.

Ndong is an assistant professor of surgery at Gaston Berger University in Senegal and a general and laparoscopic surgeon at Saint-Louis Regional Hospital. He is part of the 4th cohort of the SASH program, which brings mid-career physicians from African countries to Stanford for a six-week exchange with a Stanford faculty mentor, followed by a year-long quality improvement project implemented in their home country with seed funding from the program. Ndong’s mentors are Liebert and Dr. Sherry Wren, Stanford Professor of General Surgery and the Secretary of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) since 2022.

Ndong’s quality improvement project is titled: “Improving Undergraduate and Laparoscopic Training Quality through Simulation Using the ENTRUST Learning and Assessment Platform at Gaston Berger University (UGB), Senegal.” In Senegal, simulation-based education remains underused in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training, despite its proven impact on clinical competence and patient safety. Evidence shows that simulation enhances clinical skills, reduces medical errors, and improves care quality.

For his project, Ndong drew from Stanford’s programs in medical and surgical education, including the ENTRUST Assessment Platform developed by Liebert and Clinical Associate Professor of General Surgery Dr. Dana Lin, in collaboration with the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA). ENTRUST is a virtual, evidence-based and interactive learning tool which utilizes surgical simulation scenarios to support users in developing clinical reasoning, procedural, and communication skills. Through SASH, Ndong’s project aims to improve surgical care and training quality of medical students and residents at UGB through the integration of simulation-based education using the ENTRUST platform.  

At the conference in Ghana, Ndong shared his progress on simulation-based education, “emphasizing its essential role in enhancing clinical competence and promoting patient safety,” he said. The conference also provided an opportunity for Ndong to exchange ideas with participants using the ENTRUST platform.

“This collaboration in Accra further strengthened the mentorship foundation central to SASH. Preparations are now underway to implement these innovative teaching strategies to standardize and improve medical education and patient outcomes in Africa, helping bridge the gap between theoretical training and safe clinical practice,” said Ndong.