Global Health Initiatives

Our faculty and trainees routinely travel internationally to participate in global health initiatives. We have developed relationships with three primary locations—Botswana, India, and Uganda. Doctors also choose to use personal time to participate in service trips independently in other locations. These opportunities allow our faculty and trainees to learn, be involved, and advocate for global medicine.

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Botswana

Our department has initiated a memorandum of understating with the University of Botswana School of Medicine, Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching University Hospital, and Princess Marina Hospital. Dr. Joss Thomas currently leads these efforts forward.

India

Our department offers an anesthesia elective rotation to medical students, residents and fellows in India. There are two primary sites in the major city of Bengaluru, St. John’s Medical College, an excellent state-of-the-art campus that includes housing for international students, and Narayana Health City which offers a wide variety of opportunities for specialized work, including the world’s largest cardiovascular facility. The campus is also home to a pediatric hospital and hospitals focusing on cancer and ocular treatment.

Dr. Kumar Belani also runs ongoing collaboration activities in Bangalore, India for residents and fellows, as well as opportunities to present at international professional meetings in India.

Uganda

In Uganda, Dr. Monica Lupei developed an institutional and program affiliation agreement between our department and Ruth Gaylord Hospital in Kampala. Ruth Gaylord Hospital was funded from Minnesota sponsors, such as Friends of East Africa. We offer an elective clinical rotation available for our anesthesiology residents and those from the Department of Surgery. Recently, we facilitated the donation of coventor mechanical ventilators to Ruth Gaylord and other hospitals in Kampala to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic.