The Impact of Global Collaboration on the Academic Focus of the West African College of Surgeons: Are Worldwide Efforts Aligning with Local Priorities?

Abstract

Background Global collaboration has the potential to induce a shift in research focus away from the priorities of those in low-and low-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs). This study quantified international collaboration among surgery publications by Fellows of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) and investigated if collaboration with upper-middle-income and high-income countries (UMICs and HICs) decreases the homophily of research focus. Methods Publications by WACS surgery Fellows from 1960 to 2019 were characterized as local WACS publications, collaborative publications without UMIC/HIC participation, or collaborative publications with UMIC/HIC participation. Research topics were determined for each publication, and topic percentages were compared between collaboration groups. Results We analyzed 5065 publications. Most (3690 publications, 73%) were local WACS publications, while 742 (15%) were collaborative publications with UMIC/HIC participation and 633 (12%) were collaborative publications without UMIC/HIC participation. UMIC/HIC collaborations contributed to 49% of the increase (378 out of 766 publications) from 2000 to 2019. Topic homophily was significantly lower between local WACS publications and collaborations with UMIC/HIC participation (differed in nine research topics) than it was between local WACS publications and collaborations without UMIC/HIC participation (differed in two research topics). Conclusions Publications without international collaboration comprise most WACS research, but the rate of UMIC/ HIC collaborations is rapidly increasing. We found that UMIC/HIC collaborations decreased the homophily of topic focus in WACS publications, indicating that global collaborations need to have greater emphasis on the priorities of those in LICs and LMICs.

Aligning Global Surgical Research Collaborations with Local Priorities in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

“…Over the years, the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), a leading surgical training College in sub-Saharan Africa, has produced high-quality surgeons involved in research. The impact of their collaboration with international colleagues in the global north, as highlighted in this report, is quite encouraging [1]. Such collaborations need to be deliberately supported and scaled up.…”

“…The article by Hoffman et al [1] highlighting the impact of global collaborations on the academic focus of the West African College of Surgeons is timely. This is coming on the background of global efforts to strengthen surgical care in low-income (LICs) and lower middle-income (LMICs) countries through various initiatives and innovations.…”