Robert Riviello, MD, MPH, FCS, FACS

Adjunct Professor of Surgery, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda

Steven C. and Carmella R. Kletjian Associate Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine in the Field of Global Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Kletjian Distinguished Chair in Global Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Associate Professor of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Dr. Robert Riviello is a surgeon, educator, and global health leader dedicated to advancing safe, effective, and equitable surgical care for vulnerable populations around the world. He serves as a Professor of Surgery at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), and former chair of the Department of Surgery and co-Chair of the Center for Equity in Global Surgery. For several years he lived and worked with the Human Resources for Health porgram in Rwanda as a surgeon at the University Teaching Hospital Kigali (CHUK) and the University of Rwanda. He is the Steven C. and Carmella R. Kletjian Associate Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine in the field of Global Surgery at Harvard Medical School, the Kletjian Distinguished Chair in Global Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and Director of the Program for Global Surgery and Social Change. He is also an associate surgeon in the Division of Trauma, Burn, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency General Surgery at BWH.

Dr. Riviello received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, and his MD from the University of California, San Diego. He completed his general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, followed by a Fulbright International Fellowship in Global Surgery at Centro Evangélico de Medicina do Lubango in Angola, and a research fellowship in global surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Surgery and Public Health. He then completed fellowships in acute care and burn surgery and in anesthesia critical care medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Board-certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Dr. Riviello directs global surgery programs at Harvard and BWH, where his work bridges clinical service, research, and capacity building across sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past decade, he has split his time between Boston and Africa, focusing on strengthening surgical systems, developing surgical training programs, innovating surgical devices for resource-limited settings, and mentoring global surgery fellows.

Dr. Riviello has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and has led initiatives aimed at improving surgical access, quality, and safety in low- and middle-income countries. His research and leadership have shaped global frameworks for equitable surgical care delivery and education, reinforcing the role of surgery as an integral component of universal health coverage.