Duke in Kampala: Back in Durham

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Africa has 24% of the burden of disease in the world, but only 3% of the healthcare workers. This means that even with great advances in science and technology, African countries struggle to provide adequate health care to their populations.

Back in November 2007, the Duke Global Health Institute and the Fuqua School of Business co-sponsored a conference here at Duke with the Global Health Workforce Alliance to discuss the African Healthcare Worker Shortage. Out of that conference came an invitation for Duke to be involved in the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, sponsored by the Global Health Workforce Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO). This conference is being held in Kampala, Uganda on March 2-7, 2008.

As part of Duke's involvement in the conference, the Duke Global Health Institute is sponsoring the attendance at the conference of five students from the School of Medicine and the Fuqua School of Business. This blog is their opportunity to share what they learn.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Back in Durham

Back in Durham...sorely missing Kampala, but feeling invigorated by the experiences of the past week. We were fortunate to have met 3rd and 5th year medical students from Makerere School of Medicine last Thursday. We had a great time comparing our curriculum's (they have been practicing with "problem based learning" for a few years now) and talking about medical outreach projects they conduct in rural Uganda. In their own way, they are addressing the HRH issue by committing to long-term projects in these respective communities. The students are responsible for identifying a medical/public health issue and coming up with solutions which they implement over the course of 2-3 years (the projects start in the 3rd year; students complete 5 years of medical school).

On another note, I was quite pleased with the various public health messages displayed across billboards in Kampala! Among the more common ads were ones that alerted viewers against cross-generational sex in order to fight the spread of HIV among girls and women. New Vision, a Ugandan daily newspaper reported in August 2007 that several studies have found HIV prevalence among girls ages 15 to 24 to be four times higher than boys in the same age group in Uganda.

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Who We Are

Five students, five different views.

The Duke Global Health Institute is sponsoring five Duke students to attend the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, sponsored by the Global Health Workforce Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Here's a quick introduction to who we are and why we decided to travel to Kampala this March:

Lily Chhatwal -- Fuqua School of Business MBA student:
"I truly believe that global health reform can best be achieved by bringing together clinicians, policy makers and business individuals. The first hand exposure at the conference to individuals who work in the African health sector will be a tremendous learning opportunity."

Gretchen Scheidler - Fuqua School of Business MBA student: "Prior to starting at Fuqua, I spent time working in Africa with various non-profit organizations. I came to Duke, in large part, due to the Health Sector Management program at Fuqua. In healthcare and development work, implementation and managerial skills are crucial for well-meaning ideas to come to fruition. I feel incredibly lucky to be involved in this conference."

Timothy Koo - School of Medicine, first year student:
"We will be involved in an exciting research project interviewing healthcare leaders from around the world who have had success in pioneering private sector innovations regarding the healthcare worker shortage. I am interested in this problem because it has yet to be given much attention by the international community. Working on this project allows me to meld my interest in healthcare policy with the knowledge and skills I gained while working as a management consultant before attending medical school."

Nazaneen Homaifar - School of Medicine, first year student:
"As a Duke undergrad, I read declarations and executive summaries produced from international forums. To now be part of the process and see how different factors and politics play out in such a setting takes this edification to a whole new level."

Amelia Walling Maiga - School of Medicine, first year student: "Before coming to duke for medical school, I spent three years in Mali, working first as a health education Peace Corps volunteer. This conference affords us an incredible opportunity to learn about the healthcare worker shortage through hands-on research and exchange, and to do so in a country that is itself in the midst of a real health care worker shortage crisis - a dynamic that cannot be replicated here in Durham.

The following Duke faculty and staff will also be attending the conference:
Mike Merson
(Duke Global Health Institute)
Jeff Moe
(Fuqua)
Dennis Clements
(Duke Global Health Institute)
Geelea Seaford
(Duke Global Health Institute)

Duke in Kampala

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Monday, March 10, 2008

Back in Durham

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