Dr Emmanuel Arko-Cobbah, Trauma Surgeon practising from Busamed Bram Fischer Private Hospital in Bloemfontein has recently been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also a senior lecturer and medical specialist in the Department of Surgery at the University of the Fee State (UFS). Dr Arko-Cobbah was inducted on 19 October after a rigorous process. He was part of 1 800 candidates from around the world, but mostly from North America, with about 600 from other countries outside of the US and Canada.
Dr Arko-Cobbah, a trauma surgeon, says it feels surreal as it has always been his dream to become a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, although it often felt like an impossible dream. “I truly thank God, and I am very grateful, because to me, it feels like it's all part of His plans for me, that is why He is making these things possible for me.
“As a trauma surgeon, it makes me feel I have achieved even beyond our borders, and it gives me the opportunity to also share the knowledge we have locally with the rest of the world. We have a lot to offer, but we tend to get underestimated because of where we’re from,” says Dr Arko-Cobbah.
To become a fellow of the ACS, applicants go through a selection process after applying and then they need to be nominated by three different fellows of the American College who are in good standing. If their nominations are accepted, an interview follows whereafter the reports are reviewed by the committee which then decides the outcome.
After qualifying as doctor and becoming a general surgeon at the UFS, and super specialised as a trauma surgeon, Dr Arko-Cobbah completed a Surgical Leadership Programme with Harvard University in Boston, in the US. “God has always been good to me, and I am forever grateful to the support of my wife and family and continued inspiration and mentorship from Prof André Loubser. I am grateful to the late Prof Theron, and the UFS Surgery Department, past and present, for always pushing me to be better.
Dr Arko-Cobbah has also been part in the creation of the Bloemfontein Trauma Forum, of which Prof Loubser is the chairperson. It was an initiative seen by the recently new appointed Nursing Manager, Sr Ariana Lourens of Busamed Bram Fischer Private Hospital to get all private and state sector hospitals and emergency services to work together, for improved clinical outcomes of trauma patients.
