Supporting Dr. Joel Dako’s Mission: Advancing Global Surgery Through Mentorship
In a recent meeting with the InterSurgeon team, Dr. Joel Dako, a passionate young doctor from Cameroon, shared his inspiring vision for the future of surgical care in Africa — a vision grounded in mentorship, technology, and collaboration.
Currently in his fourth year of paediatric surgery training in Burkina Faso, Dr. Dako began his medical journey as a general practitioner in a surgical clinic in Cameroon, where he worked for four years before deciding to specialize in paediatric surgery. His path has been shaped by a strong desire to improve access to safe, modern surgical care for children across Africa.
During the discussion, Dr. Dako explained that he joined InterSurgeon after learning about it during the pan African paediatric surgery association annual (PAPSA) conference in Abidjan in 2025, where he was introduced to the concept of Ohana One technology — a digital approach that allows surgeons to collaborate and learn remotely. Inspired by this idea, he saw InterSurgeon as a bridge between clinicians in resource-limited settings and those with access to advanced surgical techniques; “Where I am [Burkino Faso], we don’t have a lot of technological tools for complex surgeries, for example laparascopic surgery here is not very well developed.”
Dr. Dako shared; “If I can train and do research in facilities with better technology, I can return to Africa and improve the conditions of care for children, especially in surgery.”
His ambition goes beyond personal development. Dr. Dako hopes to maximise the research benefit to create collaborative studies that can adapt global surgical innovations to African realities. His focus areas include general surgery, orthopaedics, and paediatric surgery, all viewed through the lens of global surgery research.
This mentorship will not only support Dr. Dako’s growth as a paediatric surgeon but will also strengthen InterSurgeon’s broader mission: linking surgeons globally to share expertise, technology, and compassion.
Dr Dako says; “I would like to be put in touch with a mentor on InterSurgeon. I’m flexible about how I communicate with the mentor (Zoom, e-mail, occasional meetings) and I’m prepared to adapt to the mentor’s schedule. I am looking to:
- Develop my skills in paediatric and laparoscopic surgery in better-equipped facilities.
- Participate in collaborative research projects, adapting global surgical innovations to African realities.
- Benefit from practical advice on career planning, international training and humanitarian missions.”
If you are interested in partnering with Dr Dako, click here to view his profile.
