Category Archives: Uncategorized

3 Ways to Fix Africa’s Healthcare Workforce Shortage

Posted on July 7, 2010 by

There is a severe health care workforce shortage in Africa. The solution is not to build a western-style system, rather we need to leverage new technologies and low-cost alternatives to build an African-style medical education system that will help train … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, East Africa, eHealth, Medical Education, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

McKinsey Report Describes a Bright Future for Sub Saharan Africa

Posted on June 8, 2010 by

The McKinsey Quarterly Report suggests that Africa is on the rise and in particular, Sub-Saharan Africa is a land of economic promise.   The region is weathering the global downturn better than Latin America, Europe and Central Asia. The article suggests … Continue reading →

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What Will Drive Telemedicine in Developing Countries?

Posted on June 1, 2010 by

I recently read an article in the New York Times about the prospects of telemedicine in the US…the future looks great now that reimbursement is picking up. Clearly the motivation behind using technology here is to see more patients and … Continue reading →

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Incorporating a Global Health Track in a GME Program

Posted on March 22, 2010 by

I’m hoping to start a Global Health Track (GHT) in our internal medicine residency program. While many of our residents are currently doing international rotations -these are arranged by individuals and don’t incorporate any formal global health teaching. That said, … Continue reading →

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Handheld diagnostics that would be helpful in the developing world

Posted on December 31, 2009 by

Given that HIV, Malaria and TB are the three  infectious diseases we need to tackle most, here are a couple of interesting finds: Daktari is a company that makes an interesting gadget that would provide better access to CD4 counts … Continue reading →

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Partnerships in Medical Education Bring Hope to Eritrea

Posted on December 24, 2009 by

For a small country, Eritrea has recently been getting a lot of attention in the news – issues surrounding the quality of life of it’s citizens, UN sanctions and the disappearance of it’s national soccer team in Kenya.  On a … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, East Africa, Medical Education, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Breast Cancer in Developing Countries Needs a Customized Approach

Posted on November 16, 2009 by

There are new guidelines published by the USPSTF to start screening women (at average risk) for breast cancer at the age of 50 (not 40 as is currently done). If we were to establish a set of screening guidelines for … Continue reading →

Posted in Breast Cancer, Evidence-based public health, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

How Medical Professionals Contribute to the Global Mental Health Crisis and How We Can Fix It

Posted on November 1, 2009 by

A recent article in the Lancet claimed that global mental health needs attention.  It’s not hard to imagine -  if 40% of the world lives in extreme poverty on less than $2 per day, with limited access to basic health … Continue reading →

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Embracing Traditional Healers To Improve Health Outcomes

Posted on October 24, 2009 by

The Lancet recently reported that South Africa has established the Traditional Health Practitioners Act which provides registration and training of traditional practitioners and serves to protect the interest of those who use the services.  While traditional medicine is still unregulated, … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Traditional Healers, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Alarming preterm birth rates implicate Africa and the US

Posted on October 6, 2009 by

Back after a bout of an upper respiratory infection, I was surprised by the statistics of  preterm births. More than one million infants die each year because they are born too early, according to the just released White Paper, The … Continue reading →

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