PakSurg: The First Trainee-lead Model for Multicenter Surgical Research Collaboration in Pakistan

We describe creation and piloting of the PakSurg Collaborative, devised via integration of existing trainee-led collaborative models in the United Kingdom with the resource-limited surgical care in Pakistan. This is the first trainee-lead surgical research collaborative in Pakistan, established by the student-lead Surgery Interest Group from the Aga Khan University. The project involved creation of a model that included a steering committee comprising of five teams which worked in conjunction with collaborators from multiple hospitals. To facilitate this collaboration, a comprehensive and cost-efficient study management pathway was developed. The PakSurg Collaborative has the potential to deliver methodologically robust, high-quality, multicenter surgical evidence from Pakistan. This nationally representative data could inform evidence-based surgical guidelines, potentially translating into improved outcomes for patients undergoing surgery.