Seed Global Health & Gradian Health Systems Partner to Train Anesthesia Providers in Uganda
Building Professional Health Capacity through the Global Health Service Partnership
Building Professional Health Capacity through the Global Health Service Partnership
BOSTON and NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — Seed Global Health andGradian Health Systems today announced a new partnership designed to improve the training of anesthesia providers in Uganda as part of their ongoing efforts to help tackle the dire shortage of health care professionals worldwide. By providing $30,000 for loan repayment, Gradian Health Systems will support anesthesiologist Dr. Lauren Welsh to serve a one year placement as an educator at a medical school in Uganda as part of the Global Health Service Partnership.
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The Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP), a public-private partnership between Seed Global Health, the US Peace Corps, and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), sends US physician and nurse volunteers to serve as educators in partner country medical and nursing schools in Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. The training GHSP volunteers provide increases teaching capacity, supports clinical care delivery, and helps to strengthen health systems in resource-limited countries. Gradian Health Systems works to improve access to safe surgery and perioperative care by providing technology, service and training to help patients get the anesthesia care they need.
“In Uganda, there are only 117 physicians for every 1 million people. That means every additional medical trainer who can help train the next generation of physicians is essential,” said Dr. Vanessa Kerry, co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health. “Gradian’s support will not only help Lauren to serve for a year, but will have a ripple effect on so many lives for years to come. We are grateful for this partnership.”
Health professionals interested in providing service – either domestically or abroad to socially and economically disadvantaged populations – have faced financial challenges from compounding educational debt and personal commitments. Seed Global Health is dedicated to helping GHSP volunteers offset their financial burdens by providing up to $30,000 in loan repayment per volunteer, enabling the best and brightest to serve.
“Our partnership with Seed Global Health offers Gradian a unique, compelling program to support our mission of improving the safety of anesthesia care around the world,” said Erica Frenkel, vice president of business strategy at Gradian. “Dr. Welsh’s enthusiasm and commitment to the field are inspiring for us and, we are certain, will be inspiring for her students.”
Alongside local faculty, Dr. Welsh will be teaching students in the classroom and in the operating room to enhance anesthesia training and increase healthcare delivery capacity. “I’m very thankful to be supported by groups that place such importance on empowering clinicians to ultimately become teachers themselves. This helps create a sustainable learning environment to improve anesthetic care,” said Dr. Welsh. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with medical students in Zambia during my residency, watching them grow in skill and confidence. I am looking forward to doing the same in Uganda!” Dr. Welsh recently completed her fellowship in pediatric anesthesia from Boston Children’s Hospital and has worked abroad inIndia, Nicaragua, and Zambia.
Dr. Welsh is one of 42 US physicians and nurses serving at 13 sites across Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda this year as GHSP volunteers. Last year, in its inaugural year, the GHSP program sent 30 volunteers to 11 sites in these three countries. Collectively, they taught over 2,800 trainees and 85 courses helping to strengthen local educational capacity.
To learn more about the Global Health Service Partnership, please visit: peacecorps.gov/globalhealth
About Seed Global Health: Seed Global Health’s mission is to help alleviate the shortage of health care professionals and help build sustainable health systems in countries where there is a critical need. To achieve this mission, Seed Global Health works through a unique public-private partnership with the US Peace Corps and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), supporting doctors and nurses as faculty in medical and nursing schools in Africa. GHSP volunteers educate and mentor local medical and nursing trainees and faculty at partner country institutions in Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. Visit seedglobalhealth.org for more information.
About Gradian Health Systems: Gradian Health Systems equips hospitals to deliver anaesthesia safely and economically. Our mission is to improve access to safe surgery and perioperative care by providing technology, service and training to strengthen anaesthesia capabilities. We design and build equipment used worldwide in hospitals ranging from world-renowned academic centers to resource-constrained district facilities. We are a foundation-owned social enterprise collaborating with partners in clinical medicine, national health systems, medical technology and philanthropy. Visit gradianhealth.org for more information.