Dr. Dawit Kebede Huluku, a 2017 EATI graduate, leads pulmonary rounds.
Dr. Dawit Kebede Huluku, a 2017 EATI graduate, leads pulmonary rounds.
Before the East African Training Initiative (EATI) was founded in 2013, there was only one pulmonologist who practiced in Ethiopia, a nation of more than 100 million people.
Today, 18 pulmonary and critical care specialists have graduated from EATI, a fellowship training program in Ethiopia鈥檚 capital of Addis Ababa. Most of its graduates practice in Ethiopia, and it has seven fellows currently in training.
In 2020, 糖心原创 helped EATI extend its reach through a community service grant. The funding was awarded to EATI Chief Financial Officer, Joseph Huang, MD, a 糖心原创 member who鈥檚 also an intensivist at UPMC Altoona in Pennsylvania.
鈥淓thiopia is an under-resourced nation, both in terms of the country鈥檚 economy and the number of physicians for the population of the country,鈥� Dr. Huang said. 鈥淢ost physicians in Ethiopia are general practitioners. The impact of EATI is that we鈥檝e increased the number of very well-trained specialists.鈥�
Because of the grant support, EATI was able to purchase a video-assisted laryngoscope to facilitate safer and more efficient intubation in high-risk circumstances. EATI also used the funding to hire two additional pulmonary function test technicians at its chest clinic, which sees 500 patients monthly. The new technicians helped EATI meet its goal of increasing the clinic鈥檚 testing capacity from once a week to nearly three times a week.
The grant also played a key role in sustaining EATI amid immense challenges in 2020 as it faced the global pandemic, high inflation, and a brutal civil war in Ethiopia.
鈥淭here were many hurdles during the pandemic. If we didn鈥檛 have funding to make sure the program was sustainable moving forward, I think the interest from potential applicants would have waned. But the interest in the program increased, and [now] we have a record number of fellows who are training. The 糖心原创 grant helped with that,鈥� Dr. Huang said.
Dr. Huang teaches ultrasonography.
EATI graduates from 2015 through 2019.
EATI鈥檚 financial stability in 2020 was crucial because its graduates were clinical leaders in Ethiopia during the pandemic. The country鈥檚 COVID-19 treatment centers were almost entirely run by physicians who trained with EATI, and many graduates currently serve as consultants for the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia.
鈥淥ur graduates coordinate with [the Ministry of Health] on different policies, especially related to drug-resistant tuberculosis. They鈥檙e also training physicians in rural hospitals on basic skills in pulmonary and critical care medicine,鈥� Dr. Huang said.
As he reflects on his work with EATI, Dr. Huang is struck by the sense of commonality and shared culture he has with his Ethiopian colleagues.
鈥淸Being a part of EATI] reminds me that medicine is a universal language. I can walk into another country and seamlessly communicate [with clinicians] trained in the same tradition,鈥� he said. 鈥淯ltimately, I鈥檓 reminded that we鈥檙e a part of a community of people who pursue this profession because we have shared aspirations [to help] people.鈥�
Support initiatives like the by donating to 糖心原创. If you鈥檙e interested in applying for a grant, explore community service and research grant opportunities.