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Global Surgery Collaborative Partners

Established in 2014, the Global Surgery Collaborative of the University of Birmingham (UoB) is a worldwide effort to advance surgical care through research partnerships at various healthcare institutions. With over 800 surgeons in 100 countries, Global Surgery Collaborative is one of the largest operations of its kind in the world. The Global Surgery Collaborative chose CMC Ludhiana as their homebase for their work in India.

Logo for the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery, featuring a stylized globe with colored rings and blue text beside it.

Projects

Logo for the FALCON surgical trial, featuring an eagle within the letter O, and text: a trial by the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery with a globe icon.

PROJECT FALCON: Beginning in 2018, this initiative aimed to test surgical measures that would decrease the chance of SSI (Surgical Site Infection) after abdominal surgery. CMC Ludhiana recruited the highest number of patients for this trial in the world. The trial concluded in September 2020 with 5,800 participants.

Logo for the CHEETAH trial by the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery, with an orange cheetah silhouette and a globe icon.

PROJECT CHEETAH: This trial built off of Project Falcon’s work. With recruitment beginning in May of 2020, the focus of this study was to evaluate how using separate gloves and instruments for wound closure reduced SSI rates in abdominal surgery patients. It concluded in 2022 with over 13,000 patients recruited worldwide.

The image features the word KIWI in large green letters and the text a trial by the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery with a globe icon and two green forward arrows.

PROJECT KIWI: This was a small project (335 patients) that took place from April to October 2020. It aimed to examine the costs of various SSI prevention methods in both upper-middle income counties and low income countries.

Logo for the PENGUIN trial by the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery, featuring a penguin outline and a globe icon.

PROJECT PENGUIN: This was the third globalized random surgical trial, with results published in June 2025. During this study, they continued to research how to decrease rates of SSI and also expanded their focus to include pneumonia as well, as these are two of the most common post-surgery complications in patients.

Logo for the CROCODILE trial by the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery, featuring a globe icon and green text.

PROJECT CROCODILE: This project focused on identifying both financial and non-financial barriers for colorectal cancer treatment compliance in India.

Text graphic with “STARFISH a trial by the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery”; below that is “CEI Case Study” and two green arrows pointing right.

PROEJCT STARFISH: Proposed in 2019, this case study focused on stoma care challenges in low-middle income environments, and provided possible solutions on how to overcome them.

The image shows the EAGLE project logo with an eagle illustration, and the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) logo with yellow and blue shapes and text, on a white background. Two blue chevrons appear in the bottom right corner.

PROJECT EAGLE: This trial, which occurred in 2024, focused on reducing rates of anastomotic leak following colorectal surgery. It was one of Global Surg’s most ambitious trials, involving nearly 2,000 surgeons and 4,500 patients.