UoN meets with US collaborators to improve medical care

The University of Nairobi in conjunction with three American Universities – Baltimore, Maryland, Washington and the St. Johns Medical College, Bangalore – under the US Presidential Emergency Programme and Fund for Aids Relief (PEPAR), have launched a health initiative whose objectives include the improvement of medical education, increased training outside Nairobi and increased research opportunities and accreditation of health institution among others. Some of the Universities like Washington and Maryland have vast experiences in decentralization of medical education to other sites. While St. Johns Medical College has a functional research unit that took off over ten years ago and is currently very successful.

Principal Investigator, Dr. James Kiarie, , Letitia Robinson of National Institutes of Health and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George Magoha , during the meeting.

Under the grant, the universities are also expected to share electronic resources through online linkages.  According to the Principal Investigator, Dr. James Kiarie, who is also Senior Lecturer, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the University of Nairobi will build a skills laboratory and explore innovative ways for the expanded horizon of the relationship to include sharing of electronic materials in areas other than medicine.  Other key plans of the initiative are to stimulate research and offer opportunities for staff to compete for career development grants.

The Vice-Chancellor Prof. George Magoha proposed that all staff in the College of Health Sciences should be trained in proposal writing to compete for more research grants.   He also revealed that the University has established a fully-fledged research, production and extension division headed by a Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Prof. Lucy Irungu,  has since been appointed – to spearhead this core function of the University.

The University top management was invited to tour the institutions in the three collaborating institutions in the United States of America.The team was led by Letitia Robinson of National Institutes of Health, MEPI partnerships and included Dr. Swarna Rikha Bhat, St. Johns Medical College, India, Sarah Dominiz University of Maryland, Sylvia Ojoo, University of Maryland, Dr. Chaffy Farquhar, University of Washington and Robert Redfield, University of Maryland. Others in the University of Nairobi team included Principal, CHS Prof. Isaac Kibwage, the Deans and Directors among others.