Last month, the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) hosted a global health education and training symposium for faculty representatives from faculties of medicine of Portuguese-speaking African (PALOP) countries. Faculty from universities located in three of the six PALOP countries attended as well as an affiliated faculty member from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.  

During this week-long visit, visiting faculty met with Vanderbilt faculty members from across campus to brainstorm and develop action plans for future collaborations. This symposium covered a range of topics including grant management and research ethics, multi-institutional training and education initiatives, engagement, and student exchange opportunities. In addition, visitors explored the Vanderbilt Center for Experiential Learning and Assessment (CELA), the simulation lab for clinician training at Vanderbilt, and completed training exercises in the lab.  

VIGH is committed to partnering with institutions where research agendas align, and education and development activities coexist. The PALOP global health education and training symposium is a reflection of these efforts to further partnerships and collaborations with institutions around the world.  

Read more about the symposium and visiting faculty.  

The Department of Anesthesiology recently received a grant to expand efforts of ImPACT Africa (Improving Perioperative Anesthesia Care and Training) to Ethiopia. This grant will build on the successful ImPACT-Kenya project in Kijabe, Kenya. ImPACT-Kenya provided training to 150 Kenyan Registered Nurse Anesthetists (KRNAs), in anesthesia care, teaching, data collection, and simulation training. 

For this initiative, Vanderbilt Anesthesia will partner with Bahir Dar University in Amhara and Mekelle University in Tigray. Kijabe Hospital will remain a training hub as the program expands to Ethiopia. Mark Newton, M.D., and Bantayehu Sileshi, M.D., will lead the project with support from the GE Foundation and ELMA Philanthropies. 

Read more about the ImPACT project. 

Doug Heimburger, M.D., M.S., Associate Director for Education and Training, and Elizabeth Rose, Training and Development Coordinator, represented VIGH at the Office of Medical Student Research event, Research Connections 2019. This event allowed first- and second-year medical students to learn about research opportunities and mentoring from departments and centers across Vanderbilt and VUMC. 

Photo Credit: Anne Rayner, Vanderbilt University