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UNC Radiology has a strong global health program that enhances educational opportunities for our residents, enables professional development for our faculty, and gives us the opportunity to have a global impact. Through UNC Global Radiology, a RAD-AID Chapter, our faculty, trainees, and staff have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Malawi and at the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

The Director of UNC Global Radiology is Melissa Culp, MEd, RT(R)(MR). UNC Radiology faculty leads are Katrina McGinty, MD, for Malawi and Robert Dixon, MD, FSIR, for Kenya.

Katrina McGinty, MD, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, MD, Heather Jordan, RDMS, & John Campbell, MD, pictured with other RAD-AID volunteers and Malawian radiology colleagues at Kamuzu Central Hospital

Since the formation of our RAD-AID Chapter in 2012, we have achieved great successes. Our residents have received travel support from the ACR Foundation, NC ACR, UNC School of Medicine’s Office of Global Health Education, and RAD-AID International. We have produced five related refereed manuscripts, six conference presentations, five conference posters, and five chapters in the textbook, Radiology in Global Health 2nd ed.

MALAWI

KCH Consultant Radiologist Dr. Mzumara (2nd from L), visiting UNC

As a RAD-AID Chapter within RAD-AID Malawi, we have facilitated the donation of a portable ultrasound unit to KCH and currently contribute to the sponsorship of Malawian physician, Dr. Emmanuel Banda, to attend training at Stellenbosch University. Additionally, our department sponsored the Malawian Consultant Radiologist, Dr. Suzgo Mzumara, on a visit to Chapel Hill with UNC Project-Malawi regarding Malawian Cancer Center implementation.

Since 2013, thirteen UNC radiology residents have traveled to Malawi to complete educational objectives based on Radiology Readiness, including a training seminar for the KCH Department of Surgery.

Katrina McGinty, MD, teaching at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi

Under the leadership of Katrina McGinty, MD, in collaboration with RAD-AID, current UNC residents traveling to Malawi provide hands-on training and didactics to improve pediatric and adult imaging services within the KCH Department of Radiology. In this initiative, competency measurement is evaluated by the RAD-AID Inteleos Global Health Ultrasound Proficiency Certification. Three Malawian learners have already passed the Fundamentals component of this certification. Additionally, this collaboration supports formal education for Hastings Banda, a Malawian radiographer, to obtain a Masters in Sonography and then return to lead this train-the-trainer initiative moving forward.


KENYA

Robert G. Dixon, MD, FSIR, teaching residents at the University of Nairobi

During 2018, Robert Dixon, MD, FSIR, and alumnus, Brian Baigorri, MD, traveled to the University of Nairobi and completed a RAD-AID IR Readiness Assessment. As Program Manager of RAD-AID Kenya and Interventional Radiology Program Director at UNC, Dr. Dixon is working with colleagues at the University of Nairobi to support the development of an IR Fellowship (as subspecialty training opportunities are limited in Kenya).

UNC Radiology members, including Robert Dixon, MD, Jessica Stewart, MD, and Clayton Commander, MD, PhD, have traveled to Nairobi with teams of IR technologists and nurses. The IR curriculum for the University of Nairobi is under consideration of the Kenyan senate for final approval.

Additionally, UNC team members contribute to the RAD-AID Global IR Curriculum, participate in the RAD-AID IR weekly webinar series for trainees in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Guyana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Vietnam, and use RAD-AID’s Mentice simulator to teach at the University of Nairobi.

RAD-AID International has a partnership with the Society of Interventional Radiology; therefore, the IR Fellowship at the University of Nairobi will have access to SIR for evaluation of its credentialing and certification awards.

Moving Forward

Please refer to the Global Health Column by Melissa Culp in this Images for more background information on our programs. Based on our successful track record with contributions from our faculty, staff, and trainees, I look forward to a bright future for UNC Radiology’s global health initiatives.