Participants felt that global surgery needs to be professionalized. They pointed out that there should be minimum standards for ISTCs in order to avoid possible negative ramifications for LMICs. Participants also mentioned the need for global surgery to be recognized as an academic field so that it could encourage more research and formal study. “I think [ISTCs] are great as long as there’s an academic vent to what you’re doing, and I think there should be, because anything new that we do is open to and potentially should be studied in some formal way.” –Neurosurgeon, Canada