Roots of My Mango Sapling: Part II

Written by Justin Henningsen, PhD, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2025

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Most people I’ve run into since returning understandably ask about my experiences. I’ve found it difficult to encapsulate my thoughts and feelings in a few words. Though this may be due to an inherent ineloquence on my part, there is simply too much to try to convey. 

Roots of My Mango Sapling: Part I

Written by Justin Henningsen, PhD, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2025

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A few phrases are floating around in my mental milieu after returning: cultural competence, cultural humility, and the Dunning-Kruger effect. The latter is a concept from psychology which states that people who have some small degree of knowledge of a topic, but are not experts, tend to overestimate their knowledge.

The Katanga Community

Written by Hossein Akbarialiabad MD, MSc, Faculty Member at the Nuvance Health Global Health Academy

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The Katanga community is located in the middle of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, between Makerere University and Mulago National Referral Hospital. It has a population of around 5,000, of which two-thirds do not have a national identity card. A volunteer-run organization, Katanga 4 Kids educates and cares for around 50 children ranging from three to seventeen years old who live on the street. One classroom serves the role of school, stage, playground, and church. They stay in two dormitories, with three to a bed and many on the floor.

Mwanamugimu Nutrition Clinic at Mulago

Written by William Hsu, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2025

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My second week in Uganda has continued to be a wonderful, welcoming, and incredibly informative learning experience. We have continued to see primarily orthopedic cases, but were able to visit the lab and imaging buildings alongside listening in on the HIV clinic, all of which have been very informative experiences.

Absorbing My Surroundings

Written by John (Jackson) Burke, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2025

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What a week it has been since we arrived in Uganda. I think I am finally though the jet lag. I have a little more energy every day, yet I’m sure I will burn through it this weekend as we travel to Jinja to see the source of the Nile and explore the Mabira forest. My morale is much higher than it was when I arrived.

Remembering Bryce Bludevich: The Qualities That Make a Surgeon Great

Written by Bryce Bludevich, MD, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2017

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He was a young man with a seemingly bright future ahead of him, a university student with a loving family. He was only twenty years old when he came to Mulago Hospital. He was skin and bones by the time he had arrived, his eyes sunken and blank as if he knew the end was in sight. Under his thin bedcovers lay the source of his malady: an open midline incision.

Remembering Bryce Bludevich: The Change in Uganda Needs to Come From Ugandans

Written by Bryce Bludevich, M.D. University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2017

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It is with a heavy heart that we say farewell to Bryce Bludevich, M.D., a class of 2017 graduate of the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. Taken from us too early, Bryce was a global health alumnus and a promising surgeon. Her passion and work with the underserved were seen and felt by many across the globe. Her passing is a great loss to healthcare and the entire global health family. We will miss her light!

Neurocysticercosis

Written by Jett Choquette, UVMLCOM Class of 2023

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Recently, I treated a patient with neurocysticercosis. While infection with Taenia solium is not common in the US, neurocysticercosis is not a zebra in Danbury, Connecticut because many patients are originally from countries where Taenia infection is a threat. The patient I saw was young and presented after having a seizure.

University of Zimbabwe – Nuvance Health Global Health Academy Joint Partnership

Written by Dr. Shalote Chipamaunga-Bamu, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe

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Founded this year, University of Zimbabwe (UZ) Masters degree in Health Professions Education (MScHPE) is an interactive and fully online two-year part-time program that is conjoined with the Nuvance Health Global Health Academy.

Praying to See Trophozoites: Part II

Written by Hossein Akbarialiabad, MD, M.Sc.

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Oh, my goodness! What could this be? It is not a simple diarrhea. There could be a possible underlying disorder. My mind started to race. There is a broad list and differentials for such findings. How could we investigate the broad range of possibilities, from infectious to oncologic diseases?