Dr Yvan Zolo

Yvan Zolo is a Junior Research Fellow in the Global Surgery Division of the Department of Surgery at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town. He graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 2021 from the University of Buea, Cameroon.

Yvan has demonstrated a keen interest in various fields, such as neurosurgery, medical education, and research, along with a particular emphasis on enhancing the delivery of safe, timely, and economical surgical care in resource-limited environments.

Yvan is passionate about leveraging space technologies to enhance surgical care and serves as a researcher at the International Center for Astronautical Development, where he volunteers in the Civilian Medical Information for Space Travel (C-MIST) project. He is also the regional web editor for the African team at the Space Generation Advisory Council. He received a full scholarship from the United Nations’ Office for Outer Space Affairs to participate in the 2023 Space4Women expert meeting organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Canadian Space Agency in Montreal, Canada, where he contributed to the development of the gender mainstreaming toolkit for gender equality in the Space sector. 

Yvan completed a Master of Science in Medicine (Global Surgery) at the University of Cape Town with distinction, where his research focused on mapping the geospatial landscape of neurosurgical care for babies born with neurological malformations, with the aim of improving access to essential neurosurgical services for these patients. He recently completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Global Surgery at the same institution, where his work examined the global landscape of Global Surgery education, assessed regional training needs across East, Central, and Southern Africa, and evaluated the effectiveness of two novel educational models developed at the University of Cape Town. His research generated evidence to inform the strategic expansion of surgical training and contribute to strengthening surgical systems across Africa.

He was awarded the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship in 2022 for his outstanding endeavors in promoting medical education and career development amongst students, as well as his track record of grassroots leadership in global neurosurgery and global surgery.