Leif Penrose, ultrasound programs instructor at Coosa Valley Technical College, will be teaching ultrasound to students, faculty and physicians at the Kigali Health Institute in Rwanda, Africa, this month and June.
The Kigali Health Institute was established in 1996 through a collaboration between Rwanda’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education. The school was created to train health care workers after the shortage caused by the genocide of 1994.
Penrose received an invitation to teach from Terry Konn of Kigali Health Institute.
“Dr. Konn, who teaches radiological imaging … noticed there were ultrasound machines but almost no ultrasound exams being done,” Penrose said. “She found out that although the facility has received donated ultrasound machines, there were very few individuals who were trained to do ultrasound exams. After the genocide there were only five people left in the country who were imagers. In a country the size of the state of Maryland, there were only five radiology techs.”
Konn e-mailed radiologic technologist Web sites asking for volunteers to travel to Rwanda to teach ultrasound. Penrose’s friend Eric Meaders, program director for Ultrasound Programs at the Medical College of Georgia, forwarded the e-mail to him.
“I talked to Dr. Dottie Gregg, CVTC’s vice president of academic affairs, and Frank Pharr, CVTC’s dean of academic affairs, to see if this might be possible. They were really supportive and said if I can get my classes rescheduled, it was possible.”
He worked that out quickly.
“CVTC has been really accommodating. They are considering my time in Africa staff development, and the CVTC Foundation even fronted the money for the plane tickets.”
Kigali Health Institute will reimburse the foundation for the travel expense. “The college is paying for the shipping of all donated items to Africa.”
Penrose has a blog that explains his work as well as listing donations he has received.
Penrose said safety is not a major concern in the country. “Rwanda is one of the most stable countries in Africa right now,” he said. “After the genocide it was unstable for about five years, but it has been pretty stable for about the last eight years.”
Penrose said he expects some rest and relaxation during his trip. “I’m going to go on a gorilla trek, think Dian Fossey and ‘Gorillas in the Mist.’ You hike up a mountain and sit with the gorillas for an hour or so in the woods. I also have a three-day layover in London on my way back home.”
To learn more about Leif Penrose and his time in Rwanda, visit http://kigalisonography.blogspot.com.
Penrose’s Schedule in Kigali
May 5 — arrive
May 6 — orientation and tour of city and local hospital to meet staff
May 7-16 — Teach technologists at CUHK (May 7, 8, 9, 12-16) - 8 days
May 19-23 and June 2-6 — teach technologists at King Faisal - 10 days
May 26-30 — teach current students basic instrumentation, scanning, etc. (5 days)
June 9-10 — 2 day physician workshop (instrumentation & OB/ abdominal procedures)
June 12-13 — general lecture on ultrasound for technologists (in conjunction with other medical imaging lectures)
June 16-25 — teach ultrasound to KHI faculty (teach to current radiology instructors).
Send donations to:
Terry Konn, PhD, RT c/o John Ndahiriwe
Kigali Health Institute Medical Imaging Department
BP 3286 Avenue de L’Armee
Kigali, Rwanda
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