1. Seven Years Teaching Family Medicine in Africa: (and Why I Want You to Help Me Build a Medical School in Western Ethiopia
Barry J. Bacon MD

2. Disclaimer
I have no relationships with pharmaceutical companies or healthcare manufacturing companies to disclose, nor have I interfered with the American presidential election in any way.

3. Seven Years Teaching Family Medicine: Goals and Objectives
Provide high quality, objective information about health disparities unique to Africa
Convince others that promoting peace is good medicine
Lead discussion and sharing of ideas about the benefits and challenges of developing a medical school in a refugee dense area as a means of healthcare transformation and peace promotion

4. Seven years teaching family medicine
It all started in the Amazon Rainforest;
Iquitos, Peru, 2009
Seven years teaching family medicine

5. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Western Kenya
Family medicine and emergency medicine. Educating the entire team. Partnership with Contra Costa Global Health Fellows. Connect with South Sudanese students.
Very small volume of patients, private hospital, insurance challenges, leadership by emergency medicine. How will it fit into the existing healthcare model?

6. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Malawi
Connection to global seed; partnership with UW and others; large volume of patients for clinical experience. Clear vision for integration of family physicians into existing structure.
Overwhelming clinical need. Difficult environment, limited tools, limited pool of physicians for recruitment. Leadership in Blantyre. Two sites with plans to expand to more.

7. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: the Horn
horn of Africa:
Creation of an academic setting for teaching. Solid team of family medicine trainers at one site, including general surgeon.
Lack of financial strength of hospital led to uncertainty with residency placement- may need to be moved.

8. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Summary
There is great value in developing family medicine internationally
Family medicine is highly desirable, needed, sustainable
Education is an important long term strategy for improving outcomes in developing countries
Appropriate relationships and integration of family medicine jobs into existing medical structure is needed
Adequate patient volumes, recruitment of local leadership, creation of academic learning environment
Disciplined, consistent teaching faculty on site is needed

9. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Peace
Medical education as a peace initiative. Understanding health from a community perspective requires stepping outside of the clinic model.
What are the basic needs that every one of us shares no matter where we are on the planet, without which we suffer poorer health outcomes?
Air, water, food, shelter, clothing, fuel, basic health access, education/means to improve understanding, peace.

10. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Gambela
South Sudanese friend introduced me to his dream of creating a medical school in Gambela, Ethiopia where there is a large refugee population.
Using medical education as an opportunity to work toward peace
An area of large refugee population who cannot go home and have no future in the camp

11. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Refugees
Global averages in school vs refugees:
91% vs 50% primary school
84% vs 22% secondary school
34% vs 1% university
16 million refugees under UNHCR. 6 million aged 5-17
This represents a huge health disparity and resource lost
In Kakuma Camp, northern Kenya, 1 in 50 children graduate from high school
UNHCR Website

12. Strategies for Education of Refugees
Six Strategies:
Adequately fund schools and universities
Expand vocational training
Develop a Syrian curriculum for displaced Syrian refugees
Allow refugee teachers to teach
Develop competency tests as an alternative to transcripts
Facilitate travel for studies
World Economic Forum Website “Why refugee education is a problem- and six solutions” by Lorna Solis

13. Including Refugee Applicants to Gambela Medical School
Lots of articles on including refugee health as part of medical school curriculum. Assisting refugees. Medical clinics for refugees.
No articles about medical school training of students who are refugees.
Uncharted, important territory.

14. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Partnerships
Ethiopia gains another medical school and improved health care.
South Sudanese gain a future and opportunity for education.
American partnership gains access to a long term, sustainable global health intervention, mutually respectful learning opportunity for African/American students.

15. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Partners
The Ethiopian leadership is on board. The South Sudanese partners are on board. The University of Gambela is ready to move forward. We need American partners.

16. Seven Years Teaching: Gambela Conclusions
Bigger than any of us. Which is why I need your help. I need to develop American partnerships to make this happen. I am changing jobs and unloading my schedule so that I can work on this more consistently. Please talk to me 570 Hotchkiss Rd, Colville, WA

17. Seven Years Teaching in Africa: Final Thoughts
Discussion