Rwanda Engineering World Health
I am very excited to share with you the
opportunity I have to join a group of students from around the world to work in
Rwanda this summer. The program is through an organization called
Engineering World Health, as a part of a collaboration between Duke University
and Texas A & M that is new this year. The overall vision of EWH is
to work in solidarity with local doctors and technicians in hospitals in the
developing world to improve the quality of healthcare and to mobilize the
biomedical engineering community to improve the quality of healthcare in the
developing world.
Medical equipment in the developing world is often
provided by corporations, faith-based institutions, medical companies, etc.,
with the hope of saving lives and improving health. Unfortunately, about
50% or more remains out of service. As a result, equipment is often
discarded or stored in the back of hospitals. This problem is rooted in
inappropriate design for developing hospitals, lack of consumable supplies and
reliable power, and limited or no staff training. In these
countries, newborns
have some of the highest mortality rates in the world, poverty is rampant, and
per capita income barely covers the necessities of life. Power supplies
may be unreliable and a simple blown fuse can affect life-saving surgical
procedures. The Summer Institute provides
students in science and engineering the opportunity to be immersed in these
settings. The goal of this summer's Rwanda cohort is to build on EWH's
successful program and expand to include engineering research, innovation of
medical products, and assessment/translation of those devices using local
manufacturing capabilities. I am excited for the opportunity to deepen my
understanding and broaden my perspective of global healthcare, as well as to
collaborate with medical staff and technicians in Rwanda. I believe that
the knowledge, perspective, and relationship gained will be invaluable as I
continue toward a career in this field.
Any financial support you would like to donate would be
an incredible blessing. We are each responsible for raising our tuition,
airfare, and some meals out-of-pocket. My goal is to raise an
additional $8000 to cover the remaining cost of supplies, tuition, and airfare
to and from Rwanda.
Blessings! Jami