SONSA · Founded 2026
Society of Nepalese Surgeons in America
Connecting, developing and advancing surgeons of Nepali origin across the United States, and giving back to surgery in Nepal.
Why SONSA
Nepali surgeons in the US have no society of their own, until now.
ANMA, ANPA and ANMF serve Nepali physicians across all specialties. None is dedicated to surgeons.
The surgical pathway has its own bottlenecks: scarce categorical positions, preliminary-year traps, research years and the fellowship match. It needs its own mentorship.
SONSA is the surgical home, a partner to those organizations, not a rival. Every surgical specialty is welcome.
Four pillars
What we exist to do.
Pathway
Help Nepali IMGs and US-born Nepali students match into surgical residency and fellowship.
Professional growth
Education, mentorship, research and leadership.
Community
A trusted network across all surgical specialties.
Nepal
Sustained surgical teaching, missions and partnerships with Nepali institutions.
Programs
Five programs, led by the match mentorship.
IMG Surgery-Match Mentorship Flagship
Every applicant gets a trainee mentor and an attending sponsor.
- Match Clinic webinars: USMLE timing, US clinical experience, research years, prelim-to-categorical strategy, J-1 vs H-1B
- CV and personal statement review
- Mock interviews, Sep–Nov
Monthly Virtual Grand Rounds
Rotating specialties, co-hosted with Nepali institutions so residents in Nepal attend live.
- IOM/TUTH
- BPKIHS
- Kathmandu University
- Patan
- Bir/NAMS
Inaugural SONSA Meeting
East Coast, fall 2027 (Washington, DC area; date and venue to be announced).
- One-day symposium
- Trainee research awards
- Mentorship speed-match
- Founding dinner
Future meetings may meet alongside ACS Clinical Congress, which comes to Boston Oct 21–24, 2028.
Research collaboration
- Global surgery outcomes
- Burn care in low-resource settings
- Transplant and organ donation capacity in Nepal
- Trainee research-year matching
Surgical education in Nepal
Short teaching missions in burns, minimally invasive surgery and trauma. Coordinated with ANMF and local partners, led by Nepali institutions.
Membership
Five categories, from free for students to founding attendings.
| Category | Who | Voting | Dues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attending Founding Member: first 50 | Practicing surgeons of any surgical specialty in the US (incl. OB-GYN, ophthalmology, ENT, urology, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, plastics) | Voting | $250/yr Founding: $500 for 2 years |
| Trainee | Residents, fellows, research residents | Voting 2 reserved board seats | $25/yr |
| Medical Student / IMG applicant | Students and IMG applicants | Non-voting | Free |
| Associate / Allied | Non-surgeon physicians, anesthesiologists, PAs/NPs, nurses, researchers, friends of Nepal surgery | Non-voting | $100/yr |
| Honorary | By board vote | — | — |
Board certification is not required. All practicing surgeons are welcome. Nepali origin is self-identified. Dues waivers available on request. Dues are proposed, to be finalized by the founding board.
Member directory
Opt-in only. You choose what appears.
Name, specialty, institution, city/state, training stage, open to mentoring.
Dr. Sabin Subedi
Abdominal Transplant & Burn Surgery
Raleigh-Durham, NC
Founder & Chair Open to mentoring
Your name here
Specialty · Institution
City, State
Your name here
Specialty · Institution
City, State
Your name here
Specialty · Institution
City, State
More members appear as they opt in.
Founder
Dr. Sabin Subedi
His own path — Nepal to IMG to US fellowship — is exactly the pathway SONSA serves.
Training
- Internship, Bir Hospital, Kathmandu
- Burn and surgical critical care fellowship, UTMB
- Abdominal transplant fellowships, UTHSC and UPMC (Chief Administrative Fellow)
Now
- Principal Abdominal Organ Procurement Surgeon, Raleigh-Durham
- Founder of High Criteria, funding free surgery in Nepal
- Producer of the podcasts Trenches in Transplant Surgery and Trenches in Burn Surgery
Roadmap
From steering committee to our first meeting in a year.
-
Nov–Dec 2026
- Steering committee forms
- NC nonprofit incorporation
- Outreach to founding members
-
Jan 2027
- Bylaws and board
- Membership opens
- First Match Clinic webinar
-
Feb 2027
- 501(c)(3) application
- First Grand Rounds with a Nepal institution
- First mentor pairs
-
Fall 2027
Inaugural SONSA Meeting, Washington, DC area.
Partners we're working alongside
Organizations we aim to partner with.
ANMA
America Nepal Medical Association
ANMF
America Nepal Medical Foundation
ANPA
Association of Nepali Physicians in America
Not confirmed partners.