Forgarty Research Fellow / General Surgery Resident
Tulane School of Medicine
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Xinyi Luo, MD is a general surgery resident at Tulane University and a Fogarty Global Surgery Fellow dedicated to improving surgical education, mentorship, and healthcare equity worldwide. Growing up in a rural town in China, she experienced firsthand the challenges of healthcare access in low-resource settings. Her academic journey across Canada, the United States, and Australia exposed her to significant global healthcare disparities, inspiring her passion for global surgery.
Dr. Luo's background in anthropology deepened her understanding of how cultural contexts shape healthcare perceptions and access. Her early experiences as a behavioral therapist working with children with autism further reinforced the impact of socioeconomic status on medical outcomes. These formative experiences have driven her commitment to bridging healthcare gaps through education, mentorship, and sustainable research initiatives.
As a Fogarty Global Surgery Fellow, Dr. Luo is working in Malawi to improve neonatal surgical care. She is conducting qualitative and quantitative research to identify barriers to timely surgical intervention and develop evidence-based strategies to enhance neonatal outcomes. Her work focuses on understanding cultural and systemic challenges and empowering local healthcare providers to implement sustainable improvements.
In addition to her global health efforts, Dr. Luo is passionate about surgical education and mentorship. She founded the IMPRESS Pathway Program, a summer program that provides underrepresented college students with hands-on clinical experience, research opportunities, and mentorship to encourage careers in medicine.
Throughout medical school and residency, she has held numerous leadership and teaching roles, including developing peer-led academic programs, leading the American Medical Student Association chapter, serving on the Ochsner Institutional Review Board, and mentoring through the American Women's Surgeons chapter. She aims to integrate global health research, education, and policy to improve surgical care in underserved regions.
Friday, May 9, 2025
9:55 AM – 10:03 AM East Coast USA Time