Building Workforce Capacity Abroad While Strengthening Global Health Programs at Home: Participation of Seven Harvard-Affiliated Institutions in a Health Professional Training Initiative in Rwanda.
A consortium of 22 U.S. academic institutions is currently participating in the Rwanda Human Resources for Health Program (HRH Program). Led by the Rwandan Ministry of Health and funded by both the U.S. Government and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the primary goal of this seven-year initiative is to help Rwanda train the number of health professionals necessary to reach the country's health workforce targets. Since 2012, the participating U.S. academic institutions have deployed faculty from a variety of health-related disciplines and clinical specialties to Rwanda. In this Article, the authors describe how U.S. academic institutions (focusing on the seven Harvard-affiliated institutions participating in the HRH Program-Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary) have also benefited: (1) by providing opportunities to their faculty and trainees to engage in global health activities; (2) by establishing long-term, academic partnerships and collaborations with Rwandan academic institutions; and (3) by building the administrative and mentorship capacity to support global health initiatives beyond the HRH Program. In doing this, the authors describe the seven Harvard-affiliated institutions' contributions to the HRH Program, summarize the benefits accrued by these institutions as a result of their participation in the program, describe the challenges they encountered in implementing the program, and outline potential solutions to these challenges that may inform similar future health professional training initiatives.
C. Cancedda is associate physician, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and instructor in medicine and in global health and social medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. R. Riviello is director of global surgery programs, Center for Surgery and Public Health, associate surgeon, Division of Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and assistant professor of surgery and of global health and social medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. K. Wilson is associate director, Global Pediatrics Program, and codirector, Global Pediatric Fellowship, Boston Children's Hospital, and assistant professor of pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. K.W. Scott is a medical student, Harvard Medical School, and research assistant, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. M. Tuteja is director for global health and research programs, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. J.R. Barrow is assistant dean of global and community health, executive director of the initiative to integrate oral health and medicine, and lecturer, Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts. B. Hedt-Gauthier is assistant professor of global health and social medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. G. Bukhman is director of the program in global noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and social change, Harvard Medical School, cardiologist, Cardiovascular Division and the Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, senior health and policy advisor on NCDs, Partners In Health, and assistant professor of medicine and assistant professor of global health and social medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. G. Bukhman is also co-chair, Lancet Commission on Reframing Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries for the Poorest Billion. J. Scott is faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, associate scientist, Division of Women's Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and instructor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. D. Milner is associate medical director of microbiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and associate professor, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. G. Raviola is assistant professor of psychiatry and assistant professor of global health and social medicine, Harvard Medical School, and director of the psychiatry quality programs, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. B. Weissman is vice chair emeritus of radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and professor in radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. S. Smith is chief and Distinguished Barbara N. Weissman Chair, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Brigham and Women's Hospital, radiology lead, Rwanda Human Resources for Health Program, associate residency training director, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, co-medical director, Orthopaedic and Arthritis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, assistant director, Neil and Elise Wallace STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and associate professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. T. Nuthulaganti is director, Health Workforce, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Boston, Massachusetts. C.D. McClain is senior associate in perioperative anesthesia, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, and assistant professor of anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. B.E. Bierer is senior physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital, professor of medicine (pediatrics), Harvard Medical School, and faculty director, Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. P.E. Farmer is Kolokotrones University Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard University, chair, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and chief, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. A.E. Becker is Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. A. Binagwaho is former Minister of Health of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda, and is currently senior lecturer, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, professor of pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, and professor of the practice of global health delivery, University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda. J. Rhatigan is associate professor of medicine and associate professor of global health and social medicine, Harvard Medical School, associate chief, Division of Global Health Equity, and director, Hiatt Global Health Equity Residency Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. D.E. Golan is dean for basic science and graduate education, special advisor for global programs, George R. Minot Professor of Medicine, and professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, and senior physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Corrado
C
Cancedda
Robert
R
Riviello
Kim
K
Wilson
Kirstin W
KW
Scott
Meenu
M
Tuteja
Jane R
JR
Barrow
Bethany
B
Hedt-Gauthier
Gene
G
Bukhman
Jennifer
J
Scott
Danny
D
Milner
Giuseppe
G
Raviola
Barbara
B
Weissman
Stacy
S
Smith
Tej
T
Nuthulaganti
Craig D
CD
McClain
Barbara E
BE
Bierer
Paul E
PE
Farmer
Anne E
AE
Becker
Agnes
A
Binagwaho
Joseph
J
Rhatigan
David E
DE
Golan
D035843:Biomedical Research; D057191:Capacity Building; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D014943:Global Health; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D012432:Rwanda