Abebe Bekele, MD, FCS (ECSA), FACS, FRCS(Ed), MAMSE, is Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic and Research Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda.

He has been CEO of the Black Lion Teaching Hospital and Dean of the School of Medicine of Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. He is a Professor of Surgery (General and Thoracic surgery). He has full professor faculty positions at UGHE, Addis Ababa University, and the University of Rwanda, as well as a professor of global health at Duke University.

He has received fellowships in Medical Education from FAIMER in Philadelphia, Simulation-Based Education from the University of Washington, and Surgical Leadership from the Harvard Medical School. He has more than 22 years of experience in medical and surgical education and has served as a visiting professor and external examiner in undergraduate and postgraduate education worldwide.

He is a fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Master Surgical Educators of the American College of Surgeons. Professor Abebe is the Secretary General of the College of Surgeons of East Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) and has served as Chairman of the Examinations and Credentials Committee for the past seven years; he is the Editor-in-Chief of the East and Central Africa Journal of Surgery and sits on the editorial board of the JAMA health forum, BMC Medical Education and the Ethiopian Medical Journal.

He has published over 120 articles and book chapters and received several regional and international awards, including the CUGH Distinguished Leadership Award in 2024.

Professor Bekele serves as a member of the advisory councils and boards of the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the WHO Council on Learning and Capacity Building in Health Emergencies, and the Global Surgery Foundation. Professor Abebe is actively engaged in Global Safe Surgery and has served as a senior advisor to the Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia, in the Saving Lives Through Safe Surgery initiative. He is the current chairman of the Pan African Surgical HealthCare Forum (PASHeF).

He is passionate about equitable access to surgical care, care, and gender equity in global surgery and surgical education. His research interests include trauma, surgical oncology, equity in global surgery, and education.