About

Years: 2019-2020

Training Site: UNC Project-Malawi

Country: Malawi

Mentors: Anthony Charles, MD, MPH; Satish Gopal, MD, MPH

Title: “The Effect of Pre-existing Intra-abdominal Cancer on In-hospital Mortality and 30-day Functional Outcomes Following Exploratory Laparotomy in Malawi”

Program Objectives: We hypothesize patients with a diagnosis of intra-abdominal cancer in Malawi will have higher in-hospital and 30-day mortality, post-operative complications, as well as lower patient reported functional outcomes following exploratory laparotomy compared to patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy for non-cancer diagnoses.

Aim 1: To evaluate whether surgical patients with cancer have an elevated risk of in-hospital mortality and complications after exploratory laparotomy in Malawi than patients without cancer.

Aim 2: To determine whether surgical patients with cancer status have a higher 30-day mortality and worse functional outcomes following exploratory laparotomy in Malawi than patients without cancer.

NIH Support: Fogarty fellow postdoctoral training research and travel award