Global medical education partnerships to expand specialty expertise: a case report on building neurology clinical and research capacity

Human Resources for Health

Martha Sajatovic¹  Kathleen A Smyth²  Daniel I Simon⁶  Nelson Sewankambo⁷  Svetlana Pundik⁵  Shirley Moore⁴  Charles Mondo⁸  Harriet Mayanja-Kizza⁸  Chris T Longenecker⁶  James Kayima⁸  Moses R Kamya⁸  Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige^1,11  Anthony Furlan⁹  Edward Ddumba³  Marco A Costa^1,10  Robert A Salata⁶  Elly Katabira⁸  Mark Kaddumukasa⁸ 

[1] Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA;Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA;Department of Medicine, Uganda Martyrs University, Postgraduate Medical Education Nsambya, Kampala, Uganda;School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA;Department of Neurology, Louis Stokes VA Medical Centre, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA;Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA;Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda;Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda;Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA;Cardiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA;Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda

关键词: Cardiovascular disease;    sub-Saharan Africa;    Uganda;    Global health;    Research education;    Neurological disorders;    Neurology;    Medical education;   

Others  :  1219651
DOI  :  10.1186/1478-4491-12-75

 received in 2014-06-28, accepted in 2014-12-10,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Neurological disorders are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan African, but resources for their management are scarce. Collaborations between training institutions in developed and resource-limited countries can be a successful model for supporting specialty medical education and increasing clinical and research capacity.

Case report

This report describes a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to enhance expertise in neurology, developed between Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda, and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH, USA.

This collaborative model is based on a successful medical education and research model that has been developed over the past two decades. The Ugandan and US teams have accumulated knowledge and 'lessons learned' that facilitate specialty expertise in neurological conditions, which are widespread and associated with substantial disability in resource-limited countries. Strengths of the model include a focus on community health care settings and a strong research component. Key elements include strong local leadership; use of remote technology, templates to standardize performance; shared exchanges; mechanisms to optimize sustainability and of dissemination activities that expand impact of the original initiative. Efficient collaborations are further enhanced by external and institutional support, and can be sequentially refined.

Conclusion

Models such as the Makerere University College of Health Sciences - Case Western Reserve University partnership may help other groups initiate collaborative education programmes and establish successful partnerships that may provide the opportunity to expand to other chronic diseases. A benefit of collaboration is that learning is two-directional, and interaction with other international medical education collaborators is likely to be of benefit to the larger global health community.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Kaddumukasa et al.; licensee BioMed Central.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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