UCSF Resident Dr. Kara Faktor Among the Best and (Ful)Brightest in Surgical Health Equity

Fifth-year general surgery resident Kara Faktor, MD has been named a 2025 Fulbright Scholar in recognition of her work advancing surgical education and trauma care in Uganda. A longtime leader in global health equity, UCSF is proud to count Dr. Faktor among its growing number of Fulbright recipients.

The Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious international exchange programs in the world, offering grants to students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals in over 160 countries. Through research, teaching, and collaboration, the program aims to promote mutual understanding between the United States and other nations.

Dr. Faktor’s Fulbright-supported research focuses on expanding trauma surgery training for surgery residents in Uganda. For the past year, she has worked on trauma training initiatives in Kampala and Mbarara and will return in Fall 2025 to continue building and evaluating a low-cost, two-day cadaver-based course designed to help surgical trainees manage trauma cases – especially those caused by road traffic accidents involving “bodas,” or motorcycle taxies, which account for more than 60% of trauma injuries in the country.

“So far, we’ve learned that most second-year surgical residents find the course engaging and informative,” Dr. Faktor says. “Now we’re assessing how they apply what they’ve learned in the operating room—how it’s changing their decision-making and the operative techniques used in real time.”

In addition to improving patient care, the course provides a model for developing standardized trauma education programs across Uganda’s healthcare system and creating communities of practice among surgical teams.

At UCSF, Dr. Faktor has found mentorship and community through the Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia (CHESA), which partners with institutions around the world to increase access to safe surgical and perioperative care. She works closely with CHESA co-founder Doruk Ozgediz, MD—himself a UCSF general surgery residency alumnus—as well as local collaborators in Uganda, including pediatric surgeon Felix Oyania, MD, at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital and general surgeons Treasure Ibingira, MD, and Martha Namugga, MD, at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

Dr. Faktor cited UCSF’s longstanding commitment to global health equity as a key reason for choosing its residency program.

“There are absolutely more opportunities for me to do the kind of global work I’m interested in because I’m here at UCSF,” Dr. Faktor says. “There is already a well-established community here that values this work, and the university strongly supports it as well.”

In addition to clinical training, UCSF also provides support for research and advocacy initiatives. CHESA works to elevate interventions prioritized by global partners and continues to expand its reach. Three of Dr. Faktor’s co-residents have also collaborated on work in Uganda through CHESA partnerships over the past few years.

Looking ahead, Dr. Faktor hopes to pursue a fellowship in pediatric surgery and continue her research in Uganda long term.

“This work is deeply meaningful to me because I can see the difference it makes in people’s lives,” she said. OiSaeng Hong, PhD, RN, FAAN from the School of Nursing also received a Fulbright scholarship to continue her work in Finland researching sauna inclusion in health and wellness programs to reduce chronic diseases and promote health among career firefighters

OiSaeng Hong, PhD, RN, FAAN from the School of Nursing also received a Fulbright scholarship to continue her work in Finland researching sauna inclusion in health and wellness programs to reduce chronic diseases and promote health among career firefighters