At the onset of this program, Guyana had no pediatricians working within their public health system (where 90% of the population seeks care) and a relatively high child mortality. In response to this unmet need, Canadian paediatricians and Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), developed a Master’s program in paediatrics with adapted training objectives from Canadian and US standards. Innovative strategies to overcome the lack of qualified paediatric faculty in Guyana included web-conferencing and a volunteer paediatric faculty presence at GPHC with a goal of 1-2 weeks per month.
Impact
- 11 graduates of MMed program in Pediatrics since start of program in November 2011. All graduates working as pediatricians and academic faculty in Guyana to train further physicians. - 4 subspecialty programs initiated - 15 research presentations at Annual Medical Scientific Conference locally - 6 research presentations at peer-reviewed international conferences - program description published in peer-reviewed journal - few other manuscripts in progress, based on local research
Student Experience
Pediatric residents and medical students participate in supervised elective experiences within this program, providing opportunity for clinical exposure to tropical medicine and pediatric care within low-resourced context. Discussed with MSc Global Health students as example of educational partnerships for capacity building and curriculum design.
Countries
Guyana
Impact
Education
Institutional Partner(s)
University of Guyana, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation - Institute for Health Sciences Education
Community Partner(s)
Guyana Help the Kids
Industry Partner(s)
Key Outcomes
Publications, Other
Sponsorship
Community
Sponsorship Details
Guyana Help the Kids, a registered Canadian charity, with branches in Canada and Guyana, participates in fundraising for this improved neonatal survival in Guyana including support of Pediatric Residency Program and Neonatal Nursing training program
