I am an assistant clinical professor in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine at UCLA. I plan to serve as volunteer visiting faculty at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda for two weeks this summer. This is part of an established program at UGHE that brings academic faculty from around the world to teach students at the university who are studying for a combined MBBS and Masters in Science Global Health Delivery degree. Pediatric specialists are hard to come by in the rural hospitals these students train at and my role will be to lead the students in daily pediatric rounds as well as provide daily didactic and pediatric simulation training. Further, I will consult with the general practitioners who care for children at the Butaro, Kirehe District, and Rwanda Military Hospitals.
This partnership will benefit medical trainees at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda and pediatric patients at Butaro, Kirehe District, and Rwanda Military Hospitals. My research area is in health equity and community health. I am specifically interested in the intersection of medical education and community service, creating curriculums grounded in community engaged scholarship and reciprocal learning. In UGHE I have found a university partner that was built on these values and is committed to training physicians who are prepared to address health disparities in low resource areas.
During this initial trip I hope to strengthen the pediatric knowledge and skills of a new cohort of medical students during their pediatric clerkship. I also hope to improve patient care by providing pediatric expertise for patients admitted to rural and military hospitals in Rwanda. In the long-term, I plan to partner with UGHE in health equity and medical education research, expanding these fields by creating, adapting and studying health equity curricula. I hope to create a sustainable partnership that is mutually beneficial by establishing a path for UCLA pediatric residents to work with medical students at UGHE. This will further establish a needed pediatric presence at UGHE while giving UCLA residents the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to global health education grounded in the principles of health equity and cross-cultural learning.
What a meaningful experience. I was blown away by the knowledge and skill level of the medical students. It was wonderful teaching them and learning about Rwandan healthcare from them. I also really enjoyed working with the general practitioners and pediatricians, really wonderful cross cultural learning. I also learned a lot from the patient population we served. It was a very impactful trip and I hope to return soon.
