Three fourth-year medical students from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Gondar in Gondar, Ethiopia have just completed a two-month fellowship at BGU’s Medical School for International Health.
Workey Tigabie, Naomi Teshome, and Hailemaryam Alemu arrived in Beer-Sheva in mid-May, and joined the fourth-year medical students for rotations in Geriatrics and Ophthalmology. They then did a four week psychiatry rotation under the supervision of Dr Nimrod Grisaru at the Mental Health Centre in Beer-Sheva where they worked with Ethiopian immigrants who had been admitted to the hospital.
This is the first year of a three-year pilot program, funded by a private donor, to connect medical students from sub-Saharan Africa with faculty and medical students at the MSIH. The goal is to offer clinical experiences and training in areas that are not offered in most medical schools in Africa, such as Geriatrics, Rehabilitation Medicine, Psychiatry, and Advanced Trauma Care.
Through these fellowships, students will develop particular skill sets and expertise that will dramatically enhance their abilities as future doctors in their home countries. Building on already established connections at African medical schools, the MSIH African Fellowship Program will bring medical students from several universities in Africa where we currently have student and faculty exchanges, and will enhance our relationships and promote development of future ‘north-south’ and 'south-north' exchanges.
In addition to their studies, the students had a chance to visit some of the historic sites in Israel. They toured Jerusalem and also joined students in International MPH program at Hebrew University’s Braun School of Public Health.
Members of the Global Health and Medicine working group at MSIH organized a lunchtime lecture, given by Naomi Teshome, who delivered the outdoor talk on the non-profit organization that she and her fellow classmates started to improve the healthcare in her community.
Recently, Dr. Nebiyu Mesfin, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Gondar University in Ethiopia, delivered the special lecture “Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) Tuberculosis in Ethiopia” to medical students and faculty.
When asked about the experience, Hailemaryam replied “I have received plenty of clinical experience, and appreciate the sophisticated medical care set ups and the technologies I am exposed to here. I value being with the kind and helpful MSIH staff, and after graduating from medical school (this July) I plan to do my residency in Internal Medicine, and then pursue my master of public health degree.”
