Webinars

GW GCCA Talks

In honor of the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) Bicentennial celebrations, the GCCA has launched its webinar series.

Sustainability in Global Surgery: Lessons Learned by Partnerships for Global Surgery (PGS)

April 20, 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Join via Zoom

Featuring:

Joshua Wiedermann, MD 
 

Learn about Joshua Wiedermann, MD 

Josh Wiedermann, MD, a board-certified pediatric otolaryngology head and neck surgeon, moved to Mekelle, Ethiopia, in 2018 after completing his pediatric otolaryngology fellowship. His decision to work abroad was deeply rooted in two pivotal experiences during medical school and residency. His passion for teaching blossomed during a formative summer in Botswana working with the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative between his first and second years of medical school. Then, in his 4th year of residency, a good friend joined a volunteer medical organization and moved to Liberia. Deeply inspired by these events, Wiedermann moved to Ethiopia with the primary mission of helping the local team establish an otolaryngology residency training program. Through this challenging experience, he developed a deep passion for global surgery, emphasizing the importance of clinical education, collaborative relationships, and sustainable partnerships. Following his time abroad, he earned a Master’s in Global Surgical Care, further expanding his passion for addressing healthcare challenges in underserved regions.

Myra Zaheer, MD Candidate
 

Learn about Myra Zaheer, MD Candidate

Myra Zaheer, originally from the Midwest, is a fourth-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is passionate about otolaryngology, with research interests in gender disparities in academic medicine, improving healthcare access for underserved populations, and developing innovative hearing care models in rural communities. She serves as Co-Director of Partnerships for Global Surgery, where she leads efforts to develop curricula that expand research and medical training in resource-limited settings and advance capacity-building through bidirectional partnerships in Ethiopia. 

Cody Messick, MD Candidate
 

Learn about Cody Messick, MD Candidate

Cody Messick, BS, is a third-year medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine – Arizona Campus with interests in otolaryngology, global surgery, and medical innovation. He is involved in research aimed at expanding surgical training capacity and developing low-cost, high-fidelity procedural simulators for airway foreign body removal in low-resource settings. He is also completing a certification program in tissue engineering through Carnegie Mellon University, with a growing interest in regenerative approaches to airway pathology.

Evani Patel, MD Candidate

Learn about Evani Patel, MD Candidate

Evani Patel, BS, is a second-year medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. She is originally from Atlanta, Georgia and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for her undergraduate education. She is interested in otolaryngology with research interests in low costs medical devices in low-resource settings and host microbiology of the airway. She serves as the co-leader of the Otolaryngology Interest Group and has cultivated a community garden with the medical school to foster community and support food insecurity.

Moderated by:

Katherine Dougles, MD, MPH '07

Professor of Emergency Medicine, and of Global Health

About GCCA Talks

The GCCA Talks series is designed to be a series of 60-minute webinars with distinguished speakers from the GW academic medical enterprise, as well as the broader GW community, GW alumni and friends, and renowned global health leaders from around the world.

Watch prior GCCA Talks from 2024-25 here:

Watch the video: Doing More With Less: Innovation and Impact in Global Health Research

Doing More With Less: Innovation and Impact in Global Health Research

November 18, 2025

Featuring:

Meredith Wells
MD Program | Class of 2026 | GW SMHS
Fulbright–Fogarty Fellow, 2024-2025

Moderated by:

Gail Rosseau, MD ’85
Clinical Professor of Neurological Surgery

Katherine Douglass, MD, MPH ’07 
Professor of Emergency Medicine, and of Global Health

Watch the Video: Experiences with Radiology Capacity Development in Low Income Countries

Experiences with Radiology Capacity Development in Low Income Countries

June 10, 2025

The GW Global Clinical Care Alliance (GCCA) seeks to forge connections, synergies, and opportunities for partnership among clinicians from across GW pursuing all aspects of global health and representing the full spectrum medical specialties, to lead projects ranging from educational capacity-building, to clinical service delivery, and traditional research partnerships.

 

Featuring:

Berndt P. Schmit, MD, MBOE 
Associate Professor of Radiology
GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Yamilé Blain, MD
Assistant Professor in Clinical Radiology
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
 

Emily Calabria, MD
Diagnostic Radiology Resident
Boston Medical Center

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Watch the Video: Learning Locally, Thinking Globally: Educational Opportunities in Refugee Health at GW - March 18, 2025

Learning Locally, Thinking Globally: Educational Opportunities in Refugee Health at GW

March 18, 2025

Featuring:

Gavin Truong, MD (Host / Moderator)
Assistant Professor, Department of General Internal Medicine

Sonal Batra MD, MST, FACEP 
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
 

 

Tanuja Devaraj, MD

Marwah Shuaib, MS3
GW SMHS

Amy Yi, MS4
GW SMHS

Shurthi Voleti, MS4
GW SMHS

Avery League, MS1
GW SMHS

Watch the Video: Global Acute & Emergency Care Systems Development: Lessons From Around the Globe - Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 

Featuring:

Kate Douglass, MD, MPH  (Host / Moderator) 
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, and of Global Health

Tania Ahluwalia, MD, MPH 
Director of Global Pediatrics at RRIEM:

Jinesh Veetilakath, MBBS, MEM 
Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine
Aster MIMS Kannur
Kerala, India

Camilo E. Gutierrez, MD
Director of Global Health Programs
Division of Emergency Medicine, Children’s National Hospital
Assoc. Prof. of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, GW SMHS

Adriana Yock, MD, MSc 
Clinical Chief of the Emergency Department
Hospital Nacional de Niños “Dr. Carlos Saenz Herrera” - Costa Rica

Watch The Video: Innovations in Global Surgical Education - September 18, 2024 - Noon (EDT)

Featuring:

Host / Moderator
Gail Rosseau, MD
Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery, GW
Adj. Professor of Global Neurosurgery, BNI

Dan Donoho, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics
Children’s National Medical Center

Timothy Singer, MD
PGY-3, Department of Neurosurgery
George Washington University

Hamisi Shabani, MD, PhD
Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute
Consulting Neurosurgeon

Othman Wanin, MD
Neurosurgeon, Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute
President, Tanzanian Neurosurgical Society

About GCCA Talks

GCCA Talks is designed to be a series of 60-minute webinars with distinguished speakers from the GW academic medical enterprise and broader GW community, GW alumni and friends, as well as renowned global health care leaders.

We aim to produce a new webinar four times per year (once each quarter).