Facilitating the transfer of healthcare technology to regional hospitals through medical equipment repair and technical training.

Note: A sister program is taking place in Nicaragua

Program Leaders: 

, Professor of the Practice, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering; Director, Duke-Engineering World Health (EWH) Summer Institute

Program Scope:

Students will learn about healthcare technology shortcomings in the developing world and spend time directly intervening to address these challenges.  Students begin by receiving four weeks of Swahili language training, learning about Tanzanian culture, living in a home stay, visiting local villages, taking classes and receiving hands-on training in medical equipment repair and maintenance, and learning to deliver technical training across a linguistic and cultural barrier.  During the next four weeks, students will work in one of our partner hospitals in Tanzania training the staff to use equipment that has been idled, repairing medical equipment, and conducting extensive interviews on healthcare technology needs.

Itinerary:

·   Four weeks spent in Usa River, Tanzania, dedicated to language instruction and medical instrumentation preparation.

·   Four weeks working in a local hospital

·   A two-day end-of-program meeting to debrief and share about the summer experience

Program Requirements & Environmentals

Application Process: In addition to the DukeEngage application, students applying to this program must download and complete the EWH application available here. Please submit this application directly to EWH by the DukeEngage application deadline, November 6, 2012.

Language/Other Prerequisites: Students will receive four weeks of language training in Swahili on site.  Applicants must have at least two semesters of physics and two semesters of calculus by May 2013.

Reflection Sessions:  Your site coordinator will lead regular reflection session in which you’ll be expected to participate.  More details will be shared with students once they arrive on site.

Neighborhood: Students will live in homestays or guesthouses for the duration of the program, no more than a 30-minute bus ride to the training center/assigned hospital.  

Housing and Accommodations:  Each student will be housed with another student in the program. 

Meals: For students living with families, 2 meals will be provided each day. Students in guesthouses will be responsible for purchasing and preparing their own food.  Funds will be provided to cover missing meals.

Communication: Each student will receive a cell phone.

Transportation: Primarily public bus, but also some combination of van and taxi

Volunteer Placement Logistics: Students will work in hospitals in Tanzania (Moshi, Rombo, Marangu, Machame).  Our hospital partners vary in size and in capacity to repair and maintain medical equipment.  The smallest hospital has 21 beds, the largest, 500.  Many of our hospitals, especially those in Tanzania, have no technical staff dedicated to medical equipment, and most of our hospitals, despite having a technical staff, cannot keep enough medical equipment in working order to perform basic medical procedures.  Students in the 2011 Duke-EWH Summer Institute were able to put over 500 pieces, about $1,022,000 worth, of medical equipment back into service in 14 hospitals.  They made a huge contribution, but the need in these hospitals is still great.  

Opportunities for Autonomy / Private Space: Students will have free time during the week when they are not either in class or working at the hospital, and almost all weekends to pursue social activities of their choice or have some downtime.