The Abundance Foundation has expanded its commitment to global health education with the launch of two important new programs. Announced on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative’s closing plenary session, the Rwanda Human Resources for Health (HRH) Program will support the development of critically needed clinical, teaching and research skills of current and future Rwandan faculty and specialist physicians to meet patient care needs at district, provincial and referral hospitals. This program is a partnership between the Rwandan Ministry of Health, and a consortium of medical, nursing, and public health schools. The leadership of Rwanda and various key collaborators who made this program a reality include Paul Farmer M.D., Ph.D., and Corrado Cancedda, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Abundance Partner, honored by President Clinton for their roles in the development of this program. Harvard Medical School, will play a key role in recruiting and deploying the physician faculty involved in this program.
Dr. Cancedda said: “This is a highly innovative and ambitious initiative that seeks to establish a sustainable health education structure in Rwanda and help Rwanda train and retain highly skilled and diverse medical professionals to build a world class health system. The Abundance Foundation supported my early work to bring this together. What makes the Abundance Foundation unique is that they are not afraid to go down an unpaved road. To me, moving from scarcity to abundance means seeing potentials in an idea, a project, and individuals. The Abundance Foundation has done that with me and my colleagues by believing in the work we do and providing early support.”
For the second initiative, in order to increase the number of professionals specializing in global health, the Abundance Foundation partnered with Harvard Medical School to launch a new Master’s Degree in Medical Science in Global Health Delivery. This program, which requires a 9-month mentored research project at a global health site provides training for the design, evaluation, implementation and improvement of health programs in resource-poor settings. The first class of Abundance Graduates began their training this fall and includes a student who has worked with the Navajo Nation; a physician leading the Burundi Village Health; and two physicians working with Zanmi Lasante in Haiti.
“The Abundance Foundation is improving global health by treating and preventing disease through medical education and health system strengthening, ” explains Abundance Foundation President Stephen Kahn, M.D. “In my clinical work in Emergency Departments in the U.S. and in resource poor countries, I can attest to the deep linkage between the health of a community and the health of the individual.”
By investing at the intersection of health, empowerment, and arts and education, the Abundance Foundation transforms scarcity into abundance.