The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF OHNS) is proud to announce Lia Jacobson, MD, has been selected as the recipient of this year's Early Career Global Health Scientist Award for her outstanding contributions to mentoring global health trainees! She was nominated by Mary Jue Xu, MD, and Doruk Ozgediz, MD, MSc, and was selected from a field of highly qualified nominees.
This award acknowledges her exceptional contributions in several aspects of global health training. She is the Co-Director of the CHESA Fellowship, the largest global surgery training program in North America, and has supported over 50 fellows from 13 specialties and 13 countries. Dr. Jacobson's commitment to sustainable capacity building in global surgery and shifting programs in Tanzania and Cambodia from short-term missions toward long-term training and workforce development contributed to her nomination consideration.
Dr. Jacobson has mentored nearly 20 trainees and clinicians worldwide, advancing initiatives in pediatric airway safety, hearing screening and surgical education innovation.
Her projects in surgical education, including the development of smartphone-accessible audiology modules and low-cost 3D-printed training models for otolaryngology in East Africa, have advanced equity in pediatric surgical care. Her committment to fostering global partnerships, securing program funding and centering the voices of local partners in every collaboration contributed to her nomination.
She accepted her award in person at the Institute for Global Health Sciences Day 2025, which was held on Wednesday, September 24th, at UCSF's Mission Hall.
Join us in congratulating Dr. Jacobson on her tremendous accomplishment in global health inititatives.
