title: Global medical education partnerships to expand specialty expertise: a case report on building neurology clinical and research capacity.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. kaddumark@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaddumukasa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. katabira@imul.com.
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katabira
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA. Robert.Salata@UHhospitals.org.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Salata
authors.affiliation: Cardiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA. Marco.Costa@UHhospitals.org.
authors.forename: Marco A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Uganda Martyrs University, Postgraduate Medical Education Nsambya, Kampala, Uganda. ddumbaentamuezala@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ddumba
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA. Anthony.furlan@uhhospitals.org.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furlan
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. angelina_kakooza@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Angelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kakooza-Mwesige
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. mkamya@infocom.co.ug.
authors.forename: Moses R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kamya
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. jkayima@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kayima
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA. Chris.Longenecker@UHhospitals.org.
authors.forename: Chris T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Longenecker
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. hmk@chs.mak.ac.ug.
authors.forename: Harriet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mayanja-Kizza
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. charlesmondo2011@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mondo
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA. smm8@case.edu.
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Louis Stokes VA Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA. svetlana.pundik@uhhospitals.org.
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pundik
authors.affiliation: Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. sewankam@infocom.co.ug.
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sewankambo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA. Daniel.Simon@UHhospitals.org.
authors.forename: Daniel I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA. kxs11@case.edu.
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, OH, USA. Martha.sajatovic@uhhospitals.org.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sajatovic
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000193:education*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007393:International Educational Exchange; D008511:Medicine; D009462:Neurology / Q000193:education*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014454:Uganda; D014481:United States