Training
Previously, Rwandan physicians had no choice but to leave their country to receive subspecialty training in cardiovascular disease. This requires an enormous financial resource, and not a sustainable means to train Rwandan physicians. The UC Rwanda Initiative has collaborated to support a cardiology fellowship training program in Kigali through partnering with Rwandan ministry of health, Rwandan academic institutions, and US academic institutions. Through the COVID - 19 pandemic, a remote teaching platform was created for internal medicine residents in Rwanda working in the four major referral hospitals. In addition to weekly online conferences since 2020, U.S. faculty have traveled to Rwanda to teach at the bedside and give didactic conferences to the University of Rwanda trainees. This allows Rwandan physicians to train and practice cardiovascular disease in their home country.
Dr. Kerr, Director of UC Rwanda Initiative (left), with residents at UR in Rwanda, 2022.
Supporting doctors in Rwanda to provide vital cardiac care to millions through fellowships and training.
Dr. Rubinstein, a cardiologist and member of the University of Cincinnati Rwanda Initiative, spent two weeks in February of 2023 working in the hospitals and clinics of Kigali. As part of UC Rwanda Initiative’s bidirectional exchange with the University of Kigali Teaching Hospital (CHUK), Dr. Rubenstein collaborated with doctors and fellows, addressing echocardiography, heart failure, electrophysiology, critical care, and vascular medicine. It was a wonderful chance for Dr. Rubenstein to get to know University of Kigali’s facility and faculty.
Dr. Rubinstein (left), Dr. Emmanuel (center), and Dr. Olivier (right).