April 2024 Report

AMPATH Kenya:

• Spring Kenya Program: Of the original team of students, faculty, residents, and fellows going to  AMPATH Kenya for electives and partnership building between March and June, 21 have been fully canceled due to the strike, including all learners. Only Tim Mercer’s April visit with a donor, and Rob Neely’s June cardiac surgery camp are still scheduled.

• We collaborated with Dell Med Communications to release a story on last year’s Moi students in Austin: https://dellmed.utexas.edu/news/building-a-two-way-street-global-education-from-texas-to-kenya

• We submitted 2025 learner spot requests to IU, awaiting response from IU
• Hosting two Moi students in Austin this fall.

ADMINISTRATIVE:

• April 23-27: Program Manager will visit Puebla to meet to meet with local partners to continue to enhance financial processes and program processes.
• Two 4th Dell Med year students with longitudinal global health engagement had great 4th year matches (Mt Sinai so could continue AMPATH involvement and Harvard/BWH)

EDUCATION:

• Monthly seminars:
  • o March 21, 2024 6-7:30pm CT Dr. Jaime Justo Janeiro of BUAP and Dr. Michelle Lubetzky of UT focused on kidney transplants. Click here to view the recording.
  • o April 18, 2024 6-7:30pm CT. Dr. Daniel Limon of BUAP and Dr. Greg Fonzo of UT will focus on the the therapeutic use of THC and psychedelics. Click here to register.

• Grand Rounds: Monday March 25 12:30-1:30pm CT. Liberty Wickman from Partners in Health presented “Exploring Applied Decolonial Theory to Address Remnant Coloniality in Global Health.” Click here to view the recording.
• Global Virtual Exchange Elective in Migrant Health: Launched in February 2024 with twenty-three (23) BUAP and UT medical students, co-taught by Dr. Rebecca Cook (UT) and Dra Marta Elba Gonzalez Mejia (BUAP). Continues to go well. The UT Dell Med student who serves as the teaching assistant will visit Puebla in late April to support the final classes.
• April 12: UT’s inaugural Gilman Scholars’ Conference – Swati Avashia and Tim Ruttan discussed AMPATH and global health careers with undergraduates from UT Austin, ACC, Southwestern University, and Huston Tillotson University
• April 22-27: Assistant Director of Pediatrics will be in Puebla to check on the pediatric resident Spanish language exchange program and explore collaborative opportunities with BUAP’s pediatrics teams and BUAP’s new simulation center.

RESEARCH:

• May 19-24 Director of Research and Education will travel to Mexico to meet with the Mexico INSP (National Institute for Public Heath) and BUAP to continue to cultivate relationships and further explore collaborative opportunities.
• SOPs: We continue to complete the relevant SOPs.
• Working Groups: Our team continues to support the eight Working Groups to meet and plan their community projects.

CARE:

• Emergency Medicine Specialists + one Resident from UVA and UT Austin are in Puebla for two weeks to explore partnerships, provide teaching sessions with paramedic students at BUAP, visit a hospital with large EM residency program, and join the AMPATH/MAPAS México clinical team to facilitae first aid workshops in the communities.
• After the large health outreach in March, the AMPATH/MAPAS México pasantes (with guidance from the clinical team lead) dedicated time in early April to update the electronic database, analyze data to generate reports for BUAP and public health sector partners, and visit primary health care clinic staff on April 11th to review complex cases and strategize on collaboration.
•    March 7-10: Consortium of Universities of Global Health Annual Conference in Los Angeles Rebecca Cook attended and presented (on behalf of joint UT & BUAP team) two projects to AMPATH/MAPAS México and also connected with AMPATH Global Team from various universities around the world. (photos also saved in AMPATH Mexico photo folder in box)
  • o Rebecca Cook, MD, MSc, Alma Rosa Rivera,Beth Felker, MA, Brandon Altillo, MD, MPH, Megan Gray, MD, MPH,Aliza Norwood, MD, Marta Elba González Mejía, MD, PhD. Exploring Two Sides of Migrant Health: the Impact of a Global Virtual Exchange Course for Medical Students. Poster presentation at Consortium University of Global Health Annual Conference March 8th, 2024, Los Angeles, California.
  • o Rebecca Cook, MD, MSc, Lis Rosales Baez, MD, D.ED, Beth Felker, MA, Ricardo Ainslie, PhD, William Tierney, MD,Tim Mercer, MD, MPH, Luis Guillermo Vázquez de Lara Cisneros, MD, PhD.Launching the AMPATH/MAPAS Mexico Bilateral Innovation Award (AMBIA): lessons learned in launching seed funding to support collaborative and reciprocal academic global health projects. Poster presentation at Consortium University of Global Health Annual Conference March 9th, 2024, Los Angeles, California. 
• March 20 CHEER Seminar series: Rebecca Cook presented update on pilot project:“The Health Impacts of Eco-stove Installation in a Rural Community in Puebla, México”. Recording available here: https://dellmed-utexas.zoom.us/rec/share/oT4e46B_eXSRrFC8yOiuA0AbCesXtnXBap6d-4Og6wCIq0zU8rn6HlnhqswD6sQf.pcA50025hs45tBiR, Passcode: #8mPvv7Z