Our trip is to support the interventional radiology fellowship program we helped establish at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. This is the first IR fellowship program in Kenya and currently has 2 fellows per year in the 2-year program (total of 4 fellows). The goals of the program are to double the number of practicing interventional radiologists in Kenya by 2030.
On our trip, we plan to support the fellowship and IR division through collaboration. This will include education (didactics, case presentations, oral board review style education, simulation education) as well as clinical support and teaching.
The proposed trip will allow us to collaborate and support the program, continue to support and build long-term relationships at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital, and support the education of the IR fellows.
The direct benefit of the project will be for the interventional radiology fellows at the University of Nairobi. Through our remote and in-country education, we continue to support their education in hopes of them becoming competent and successful IR physicians in Kenya.
Ultimately, these efforts will benefit the people of Kenya and over time more of Eastern Africa. The healthcare in Kenya remains poor and the population of the country does not have the number of doctors, number of hospitals, and the resources to support the population. Interventional radiology, although resource-intense initially, provides minimally invasive treatments for disease throughout the body. Due to it's minimally-invasive approach, patients require less recovery, less time in the hospital, and can save the healthcare system money in the long run.
Furthermore, we will benefit from what the group in Kenya teaches us. In addition to myself, our group will consist of at least 1 additional interventional radiology, 1 US interventional radiology resident, a nurse, and a technologist. We are all excited to teach but also to learn.
The expected impact will be unmeasurable. We have expertise in areas that the current IR fellows in Kenya don't get in country that we can teach through clinical and non-clinical means. More importantly, the relationships that we continue to build will grow immensely. For example, 1 of the senior IR fellows from Kenya just visited my institution for a 3-week observership.
In addition to the clinical work and education, we plan to collaborate and develop international research projects to continue for the remainder of the year.
We plan to document our stay and present to our radiology department upon our return so that a larger group can learn and benefit from our trip.
Depending on the state of the ongoing pandemic, we hope to make in-country trips to support this program 2-4 times per year for continued relationship building, support, and future impact.
We had a wonderfully productive trip to the University of Nairobi where we supported the Interventional Radiology (IR) fellowship program and developed goals to support the Department of Radiology. Our team provided educational conferences, case review, high-fidelity simulation training, and intraprocedural case support. The team focused on teaching technical skills, understanding radiation safety, and sterile technique. We learned a great deal about the current IR fellows and advanced our relationships with the department. Our multidisciplinary team of IR physicians from Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and UAMS, IR integrated resident from TJU, IR nurse from Duke University, and IR technologist from Duke Regional truly enjoyed the time getting to know the team at University of Nairobi/Kenyatta National Hospital and building new relationships.
