Yesterday was the first day of my trip to Africa starting in Gaborone, Botswana! After arriving in the early afternoon, I went straight to the University of Botswana. UB has established the first and only medical school in the country, which started operating in 2009; they will be graduating their first class in a few years time. The medical school has about 50 students in each year and will continue to build capacity until it can accommodate more. The UB school of medicine currently has a faculty of about 40 and is hoping to increase its size as well. It's a big challenge to establish a medical school, and they are proud to have done it!
The purpose of the visit was for my dad, Dr. Peter Singer, to present to about 50 UB researchers about funding opportunities for innovation in the field of global health. These opportunities come from Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Exploration Program. The researchers who had, for the most part, never heard of these opportunities were intrigued. Several asked questions about what types of innovations could be funded, hoping to apply themselves. Some of the topics touched upon during the question period included: implementation research, health systems and delivery, accidents and injuries, and maternal and child health.
Discussion with researchers after the presentation
A great first day of the trip, helping to spread the word about the need for innovation in global health!
No comments:
Post a Comment