Human Resources for Health has just published my first scientific article about something very important in Global Surgery. I would like to tell you the story about how I got involved.

When I found the project I want to tell you about I was looking for a research assignment to work on to expand my understanding of public health. At the first meeting the principal investigator asked me how much I knew about global surgery. I remember, vividly, looking at him the same way I used to look at my biochemistry textbooks —lost and perplexed.

A 2014 World Bank study​ showed that sub-Saharan Africa increased the quantity and quality of its research output in the past 20 years. However, taking a deeper look at the numbers, we find out that sub-Saharan Africa produces less than 1% of the published world’s research. But, why?