Rwanda - Energizing Gastroenterology Development in Rwanda (EGD-Rwanda)
Erik von Rosenvinge, MD, Associate Professor, UM School of Medicine; Kenechukwu Chudy-Onwugaje, M.B.B.S., MPH, GI Fellow, UM School of Medicine
Collaborators: Vincent Dusabejambo, M.B.B.S., University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences and President, Rwanda Society for Endoscopy; Eric Rutaganda, M.B.B.S., MPH, University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences; Steve P. Bensen, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine and Co-Founder, Rwanda Society for Endoscopy; Frederick L. Makrauer, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
EGD-Rwanda is a partnership with the Rwandan Society for Endoscopy, the University of Rwanda, and collaborators at Harvard and Dartmouth universities. The primary goals are to improve gastroenterology care in Rwanda, jump-start the formation of a self-sustaining Rwandan gastroenterology fellowship training program, expose UMSOM trainees to global health and global health research, and strengthen the partnership between the University of Maryland Baltimore and Rwanda.
To achieve these goals, we are 1) sending GI physicians, nurses, and trainees to Rwanda to conduct hands-on training and research in gastroenterology, 2) supporting efforts to develop a local gastroenterology fellowship program through curriculum development and by funding the first Rwandan gastroenterology fellows and GI nurses to participate in international gastroenterology training programs and conferences, and 3) fostering a pipeline for future gastroenterology fellows in Rwanda by offering mentorship and small-scale grants that fund gastroenterology-related research projects to Rwandan medical residents.