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Int J Health Policy Manag. 2018;7(11): 1024-1039.
doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2018.61
PMID: 30624876
PMCID: PMC6326644
  Abstract View: 12
  PDF Download: 8

Original Article

Health Professional Training and Capacity Strengthening Through International Academic Partnerships: The First Five Years of the Human Resources for Health Program in Rwanda

Corrado Cancedda 1*, Phil Cotton 2, Joseph Shema 3, Stephen Rulisa 4, Robert Riviello 5,6, Lisa V. Adams 7,8, Paul E. Farmer 6,9, Jeanne N. Kagwiza 10, Patrick Kyamanywa 11, Donatilla Mukamana 12, Chrispinus Mumena 13, David K. Tumusiime 14, Lydie Mukashyaka 3, Esperance Ndenga 3, Theogene Twagirumugabe 15, Kaitesi B. Mukara 16, Vincent Dusabejambo 17, Timothy D. Walker 17,18,19, Emmy Nkusi 20, Lisa Bazzett-Matabele 21, Alex Butera 22, Belson Rugwizangoga 23, Jean Claude Kabayiza 24, Simon Kanyandekwe 25, Louise Kalisa 26, Faustin Ntirenganya 27, Jeffrey Dixson 28, Tanya Rogo 29,30, Natalie McCall 31, Mark Corden 32, 33, Rex Wong 34, Madeleine Mukeshimana 12, Agnes Gatarayiha 13,35, Egide Kayonga Ntagungira 14, Attila Yaman 9, Juliet Musabeyezu 36, Anne Sliney 37, Tej Nuthulaganti 37, Meredith Kernan 37, Peter Okwi 38, Joseph Rhatigan 6,9, Jane Barrow 39,40, Kim Wilson 41,6, Adam C. Levine 42, Rebecca Reece 43, Michael Koster 44, Rachel T. Moresky 45,46, Jennifer E. O’Flaherty 47,48, Paul E. Palumbo 8,48,49, Rashna Ginwalla 48,50, Cynthia A. Binanay 51, Nathan Thielman 52,53,54, Michael Relf 53,55, Rodney Wright 56,57, Mary Hill 58, Deborah Chyun 59, Robin T. Klar 60, Linda L. McCreary 61, Tonda L. Hughes 62, Marik Moen 63,64, Valli Meeks 65, Beth Barrows 66,67, Marcel E. Durieux 68, Craig D. McClain 6,69, Amy Bunts 70, Forrest J. Calland 70, Bethany Hedt-Gauthier 6, Danny Milner 71,72, Giuseppe Raviola 6,73, Stacy E. Smith 74, Meenu Tuteja 75, Urania Magriples 21, Asghar Rastegar 76, Linda Arnold 31, Ira Magaziner 37, Agnes Binagwaho 6,49,77,78

1 Center for Global Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
2 Office of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
3 Rwanda Human Resources for Health Program Team, Ministry of Health, Kigali, Rwanda.
4 Office of the Dean, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
5 Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
6 Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
7 Center for Health Equity, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
8 Department of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
9 Division of Global Health Equity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
10 Office of the Principal, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
11 Department of Surgery, Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University - Western Campus, Ishaka, Uganda.
12 S choolof Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
13 Office of the Dean and Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
14 School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
15 Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
16 Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
17 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
18 School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
19 Department of General Medicine, Calvary Mater Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
20 Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
21 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
22 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rwanda Military Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda.
23 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
24 Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
25 Department of Mental Health, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
26 Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
27 Department of Surgery, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
28 Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
29 Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA.
30 Department of Pediatrics, BronxCare Health System, Bronx, NY, USA.
31 Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
32 Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
33 Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
34 Global Health Leadership Institute, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
35 Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
36 University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda.
37 Clinton Health Access Initiative, Boston, MA, USA.
38 Clinton Health Access Initiative, Kigali, Rwanda.
39 Office of Global and Community Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
40 Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
41 Department of General Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
42 Department of Emergency Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
43 Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
44 Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, USA.
45 sidHARTe Program, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA.
46 Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, NY, USA.
47 Department of Anesthesiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
48 Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.
49 Department of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
50 Department of Surgery, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
51 Duke Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, Durham, NC, USA.
52 Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
53 Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
54 Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
55 Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC, USA.
56 56Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
57 Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA.
58 Division of Nursing, Howard University College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
59 University of Connecticut School of Nursing, Storrs, CT, USA.
60 New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York City, NY, USA.
61 University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, Chicago, IL, USA.
62 Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, NY, USA.
63 Department of Family & Community Health, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
64 Global Education and Mentorship, Office of Global Health, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
65 Department of Oncology & Diagnostic Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA.
66 Office of Global Health, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
67 Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
68 Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
69 Department of Anesthesiology Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
70 Department of Surgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
71 Center for Global Health, American Society for Clinical Pathology, Chicago, IL, USA.
72 Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
73 Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
74 Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
75 Global Health and Research Programs, Biomedical Research Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA, USA.
76 Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
77 Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
78 Office of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda.
*Corresponding Author: *Correspondence to: Corrado Cancedda Email:, Email: ccancedd@gmail.com

Abstract

Background: The Rwanda Human Resources for Health Program (HRH Program) is a 7-year (2012-2019) health professional training initiative led by the Government of Rwanda with the goals of training a large, diverse, and competent health workforce and strengthening the capacity of academic institutions in Rwanda.

Methods: The data for this organizational case study was collected through official reports from the Rwanda Ministry of Health (MoH) and 22 participating US academic institutions, databases from the MoH and the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) in Rwanda, and surveys completed by the co-authors.

Results: In the first 5 years of the HRH Program, a consortium of US academic institutions has deployed an average of 99 visiting faculty per year to support 22 training programs, which are on track to graduate almost 4600 students by 2019. The HRH Program has also built capacity within the CMHS by promoting the recruitment of Rwandan faculty and the establishment of additional partnerships and collaborations with the US academic institutions.

Conclusion: The milestones achieved by the HRH Program have been substantial although some challenges persist. These challenges include adequately supporting the visiting faculty; pairing them with Rwandan faculty (twinning); ensuring strong communication and coordination among stakeholders; addressing mismatches in priorities between donors and implementers; the execution of a sustainability strategy; and the decision by one of the donors not to renew funding beyond March 2017. Over the next 2 academic years, it is critical for the sustainability of the 22 training programs supported by the HRH Program that the health-related Schools at the CMHS significantly scale up recruitment of new Rwandan faculty. The HRH Program can serve as a model for other training initiatives implemented in countries affected by a severe shortage of health professionals


Citation: Cancedda C, Cotton P, Shema J, et al. Health professional training and capacity strengthening through international academic partnerships: the first 5 years of the Human Resources for Health Program in Rwanda. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2018;7(11):1024–1039. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2018.61 
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Submitted: 24 Jan 2018
Accepted: 19 Jun 2018
ePublished: 06 Aug 2018
Articles by Cancedda C
Articles by Cotton P
Articles by Shema J
Articles by Rulisa S
Articles by Riviello R
Articles by Adams LV
Articles by Farmer P
Articles by Kagwiza JN
Articles by Kyamanywa P
Articles by Mukamana D
Articles by Mumena C
Articles by Tumusiime DK
Articles by Mukashyaka L
Articles by Ndenga E
Articles by Twagirumugabe T
Articles by Mukara KB
Articles by Dusabejambo V
Articles by Walker TD
Articles by Nkusi E
Articles by Bazzett-Matabele L
Articles by Butera A
Articles by Rugwizangoga B
Articles by Kabayiza JC
Articles by Kanyandekwe S
Articles by Kalisa L
Articles by Ntirenganya F
Articles by Dixson J
Articles by Rogo T
Articles by McCall N
Articles by Corden M
Articles by Wong R
Articles by Mukeshimana M
Articles by Gatarayiha A
Articles by Ntagungira EK
Articles by Yaman A
Articles by Musabeyezu J
Articles by Sliney A
Articles by Nuthulaganti T
Articles by Kernan M
Articles by Okwi P
Articles by Rhatigan J
Articles by Barrow J
Articles by Wilson K
Articles by Levine AC
Articles by Reece R
Articles by Koster M
Articles by Moresky RT
Articles by O’Flaherty JE
Articles by Palumbo PE
Articles by Ginwalla R
Articles by Binanay CA
Articles by Thielman N
Articles by Relf M
Articles by Wright R
Articles by Hill M
Articles by Chyun D
Articles by Klar RT
Articles by McCreary L
Articles by Hughes TL
Articles by Moen M
Articles by Meeks V
Articles by Barrows B
Articles by Durieux ME
Articles by McClain CD
Articles by Bunts A
Articles by Calland FJ
Articles by Hedt-Gauthier B
Articles by Milner D
Articles by Raviola G
Articles by Smith S
Articles by Tuteja M
Articles by Magriples U
Articles by Rastegar A
Articles by Arnold L
Articles by Magaziner I
Articles by Binagwaho A
Articles by Cancedda C
Articles by Cotton P
Articles by Shema J
Articles by Rulisa S
Articles by Riviello R
Articles by Adams LV
Articles by Farmer P
Articles by Kagwiza JN
Articles by Kyamanywa P
Articles by Mukamana D
Articles by Mumena C
Articles by Tumusiime DK
Articles by Mukashyaka L
Articles by Ndenga E
Articles by Twagirumugabe T
Articles by Mukara KB
Articles by Dusabejambo V
Articles by Walker TD
Articles by Nkusi E
Articles by Bazzett-Matabele L
Articles by Butera A
Articles by Rugwizangoga B
Articles by Kabayiza JC
Articles by Kanyandekwe S
Articles by Kalisa L
Articles by Ntirenganya F
Articles by Dixson J
Articles by Rogo T
Articles by McCall N
Articles by Corden M
Articles by Wong R
Articles by Mukeshimana M
Articles by Gatarayiha A
Articles by Ntagungira EK
Articles by Yaman A
Articles by Musabeyezu J
Articles by Sliney A
Articles by Nuthulaganti T
Articles by Kernan M
Articles by Okwi P
Articles by Rhatigan J
Articles by Barrow J
Articles by Wilson K
Articles by Levine AC
Articles by Reece R
Articles by Koster M
Articles by Moresky RT
Articles by O’Flaherty JE
Articles by Palumbo PE
Articles by Ginwalla R
Articles by Binanay CA
Articles by Thielman N
Articles by Relf M
Articles by Wright R
Articles by Hill M
Articles by Chyun D
Articles by Klar RT
Articles by McCreary L
Articles by Hughes TL
Articles by Moen M
Articles by Meeks V
Articles by Barrows B
Articles by Durieux ME
Articles by McClain CD
Articles by Bunts A
Articles by Calland FJ
Articles by Hedt-Gauthier B
Articles by Milner D
Articles by Raviola G
Articles by Smith S
Articles by Tuteja M
Articles by Magriples U
Articles by Rastegar A
Articles by Arnold L
Articles by Magaziner I
Articles by Binagwaho A
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