Botswana-UPenn Partnership
The Government of Botswana, the University of Botswana and the University of Pennsylvania formed
the Botswana-UPenn Partnership to build capacity in Botswana in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. UPenn is taking a broad interdisciplinary approach to train health-care personnel throughout Botswana in prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and its complications, to develop outstanding post-graduate training programs at the University of Botswana with an emphasis on Internal Medicine and its subspecialties, to offer experience in global health to Penn trainees, and to develop joint research programs that address issues relevant to the health and welfare of the citizens of Botswana.
Message from our Chief Executive
The University of Pennsylvania has developed productive and meaningful partnerships with the Botswana Ministry of Health and the University of Botswana. Our approach has been to endorse the tripartite mission of a medical school, which includes providing outstanding medical care while teaching about the diseases we are seeing and researching the issues that are most relevant to the country. The Botswana-UPenn Partnership has provided outstanding opportunities for Penn students and faculty to learn about health care management and disease presentations in resource constrained settings and to experience life in a wonderful yet very different culture. As we look to the future, we hope to expand our commitment beyond HIV, TB and cervical cancer to non-communicable diseases that are high priorities for the country. We look to apply new technologies like telemedicine to help deliver improved healthcare to people living in remote regions of Botswana.
I invite you to learn more about our work, make a donation to our program, or to contact us for questions or comments.
Harvey Friedman, MD
Director, Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Philadelphia
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Message from our Country Director
I am pleased to take this opportunity to welcome you the Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP) website. It offers a great introduction to the work and the history of the University of Pennsylvania's role in Botswana.
The work of the BUP strives to improve the health of the people of Botswana on many levels. Our highly trained clinicians provide teaching and support expert care in clinics and hospitals across Botswana. We support national initiatives to improve care in HIV/AIDS and common co-morbidities, including active participation on technical working groups and treatment guideline development initiatives. Our informatics specialists provide technical assistance to the development and implementation of telemedicine solutions to bridge the gap between specialists and remote patient populations, and tele-mentoring solutions to improve access to medical information resources. BUP researchers conduct cutting edge research to answer critical questions in the mission to improve the health of Batswana. We're active partners of the University of Botswana, working with faculty to train the next generation of doctors and nurses, helping to build a long-term, sustainable solution to the shortage of health care workers in the country.
On behalf of our in country team of over 80 staff members, I would like to encourage you to find out more about the Partnerships' activities and how you can get involved.
Le amogetswe! (Welcome!)
Doreen Ramogola-Masire, MD
Country Director, Gaborone, Botswana
New BUP Video
We have a new video highlighting the work of the Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP) Telemedicine and Health Informatics Capacity Building Program. Our program takes a multi-pronged, inter-disciplinary approach to developing integrated capacity with local partners in Botswana. Public-Private-Partnerships are essential to sustainably scaling mHealth initiatives, and Orange's commitment and investment as a telecom partner has been monumental to the progress of these mHealth initiatives in Botswana.
See the video here!
Penn Humanities Forum: Medicine at the Margins
What are the practical and ethical challenges of taking medical practices and technologies developed in metropolitan centers and extending them into remote communities where modern health care resources are scarce? This Penn Humanities Forum talk from the Penn Musuem on April 17 was filmed and is available for viewing online.
Speakers include:
Harvey Friedman, MD, Director, Botswana-UPenn Partnership, and Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
Steven Feierman, Professor of History and History & Sociology of Science,
University of
Pennsylvania
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Julie Livingston, Associate Professor of History, Rutgers University
BUP Faculty Openings in Botswana
The BUP invites dynamic, self-motivated, and qualified individuals to apply to work in our HIV and TB programs in Botswana to provide training and technical support to healthcare workers regarding the management of complicated HIV+ and TB patients.
Position Requirements:
Medical degree
Post graduate training with board eligibility or board certification in Infectious Diseases (2 positions) or Pulmonary
Medicine (1 position)At least six months cumulative experience working in a multicultural environment with limited resources, experience in Sub-Saharan Africa or Botswana an asset.
Experience in training and managing aspects of TB, HIV and opportunistic infections, with at least 12 months practical experience.
The full position description and details for applying are available here (pdf).
Bots Youth mHealth Innovation Competition 2013
Botswana’s public health care system faces many challenges. In addition to being burdened by HIV, TB, and Malaria, the healthcare system suffers from a shortage of healthcare workers and reliable IT infrastructure, particularly outside of urban areas. Botswana also ranks second in Africa in terms mobile technology penetration, with 1.34 mobile subscriptions per capita (also above the world average!). Mobile Health (AKA: “mHealth”) is the utilization of mobile technology in the practice of medicine and public health. It is a relatively broad and young field, but has already shown tremendous promise to improve healthcare in Botswana and around the world.
The rapid growth of mobile technology and social media provides tools and opportunities to address healthcare challenges like never before. This competition is an open event designed to engage and grow Batswana youths’ vision, talent, and entrepreneurship and leverage the vast potential impact that mHealth can have on Botswana’s healthcare system.
The mHealth Innovation Competition is your chance to bring an idea to life that can improve public health and health care delivery in Botswana... and save lives!
Don't have the skills to fully develop your idea? Don't worry — we'll help you by putting together local mentors and resources to help make your concept a reality. More information on the competion is available here.
March 15 is the deadline to register for the Botswana Youth m-Health Innovation Competition 2013 here:
http://botsyouthmhealth.eventbrite.com/#
DuoChart Seswana App - Now Available!
The DuoChart Setswana app is now available to download from the Apple app store and Google Play store!
This app is the result of a collaboration between the University of Botswana Medical School, the University of Botswana English Department, the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Global Health Programs Office, and DuoChart.
The DuoChart Setswana Bilingual Medical Dictionary is a user-friendly audio language medical reference tool. Phrases and vocabulary for health care professionals spoken by native language speakers. Clearly spoken English and Setswana translations. Ideal for language access, patient care, and patient education.
* English to Setswana Audio translations
* Full color culturally sensitive anatomy illustrations
* Male, Female and Female with Child images
* Enhance patient centered care, improving outcomes
2013 Outreach Schedule & Tlaleletso
The 2013 BUP internal medicine/HIV outreach schedule is available online here. You can sign up to receive email updates about the Outreach Schedule from Dr. Mike Reid by joining our the mailing list using the box to the left. If you missed any of the outreach lectures this year, all the lecture summaries (aka Tlaleletso) are available online here. Tlaleletso (Setswana for 'Updates') is the BUP's journal, edited by Dr. Mike Reid, that contains evidence-based and clinically relevant reviews for clinical faculty and staff in Botswana that is disseminated at all our BUP supported sites in country.
Tlaleletso Issue 13, January 2013 - Understanding ECGs
Tlaleletso Issue 14, February 2013 - New Antiretrovirals
Tlaleletso Issue 15, March 2013 - Managing Complicated Diabetes
Penn Student Summer Internships - Application Closed
The application for the Penn Student Summer Internships in Botswana is now closed. The applications for summer 2014 will open to Penn students in December 2013. More information on the program is available on the International Internship Program page and the list of placements available for summer 2013. Note: We do NOT offer any clinical or biomedical placements through this program.
New BUP Program Documents!
2012 BUP Year End Report (PDF 12/12)
Frequently Asked Questions (10/12)
BUP Program Overview (PDF 7/12)
BUP Stuff: New Online Shop
Hey! You can buy BUP-branded merchandise (hats! mug! shirts!) online here. Proceeds support our continued work.
BUP in the News and Publicity
In November 2012, we were mentioned in President Ian Khama's State of the Nation Address.
The CDC Botswana Newsletter features some of the our work to fight cervical cancer in Botswana through our "See and Treat" program.
During the second week of September the BUP office at Penn was pleased to host the Permanent Secretary of Botswana’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Kolaatamo C.S. Malefho. Photos from that visit are available on our Flickr page
National Public Radio recently featured our Country Director, Doreen Ramogola-Masire in a story about vinegar swabs being used to help diagnose cervical cancer.