Capacity Building in Pathology
Project Site Name: Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and University of Ghana School of Biomedical & Allied Health Sciences and Komfo Anyoke Teaching Hospital (KATH)
Project Site Location: Accra and Kumasi, Ghana
UIC CGH Faculty Contact: Maarten C. Bosland, DVSc, PhD
Project/Activity Summary:
Collaboration in pathology at KATH has taken the form of site visits and written evaluations to help improve the pathology department and assistance with developing a pathology residency program, which since has moved to Accra. To assist with improving the pathology residency program in Accra, the only program in Ghana, we facilitated real-time on-line participation of Ghanaian pathology residents in didactic sessions for UIC pathology residents three times per week. The pathology faculty teaching residents in Accra is limited to three pathologists with very limited diagnostic approaches and are stretched thin. The UIC pathology faculty has ability to provide state-of-the-art sub-specialty didactic lectures which are not feasible in Accra. A survey has been conducted among Ghanaian pathology trainees to identify where this effort can be improved. However, after a strong start it has proved challenging to make this a sustained effort because of IT changes and currently the COVID pandemic which will necessitate to modify the approach both in Accra and at UIC.
Capacity Building in Anatomy, Dentistry, Radiation Oncology, and Family Medicine
Project Site Name: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), College of Health Sciences, School of Medical Sciences and Dental School & the Komfo Anyoke Teaching Hospital (KATH)
Project Site Location: Kumasi, Ghana
UIC CGH Lead Faculty Contact: Maarten C. Bosland, DVSc, PhD
Project/Activity Summary:
Anatomist from UIC Colleges of Dentistry and Medicine are assisting the Anatomy and Maxillofacial Science Faculty at KNUST with improving teaching of head & neck anatomy and general anatomy. This effort will now be modified to distance teaching approaches in light of the COVID pandemic. Additional capacity building assistance in advanced maxillofacial surgery techniques by the UIC Department Surgery Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery is on hold for the time being because of the pandemic.
Exchange visits by radiation oncologists from UIC and KATH have been instrumental in improving use of new linear accelerator radiation equipment at KATH and approaches to radiation treatment of solid tumors in Kumasi. Follow-up collaborations are currently in the planning stage. Capacity building collaboration in family medicine is incipient and plans are being made to further develop this after an initial fact finding visit to KATH by UIC Family Medicine faculty.
