CVTC’s Leif Penrose to Teach in Rwanda

Leif Penrose, Ultrasound Programs Instructor at Coosa Valley Technical College (CVTC), will be teaching ultrasound to students, faculty, and physicians at the Kigali Health Institute (KHI) in Rwanda, Africa during May and June, 2008.

The Kigali Health Institute was established in 1996 by the Government of Rwanda, through a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. The school was created to train healthcare workers after the shortage caused by the genocide of 1994.

Penrose received an invitation to teach from Terry Konn, PHD, RT, and Senior Fulbright Scholar, Kigali Health Institute. “Dr. Konn, who teaches radiological imaging, and is helping to develop the curriculum for other areas including sonography, noticed there were ultrasound machines but almost no ultrasound exams being done,” Penrose stated. “She found out that although the facility has received donated ultrasound machines, there were very few individuals who were trained to do ultrasound exams. After the genocide there were only five people left in the country who were imagers. In a country the size of the state of Maryland, there were only five radiology techs.”

Dr. Konn sent an email to various radiologic technologist websites asking for volunteers to travel to Rwanda to teach ultrasound. Penrose’s friend Eric Meaders, Program Director for Ultrasound Programs at the Medical College of Georgia, forwarded the email to him. “I got this email from Eric because he knew I have always been interested in foreign work. I talked to Dr. Dottie Gregg, CVTC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Frank Pharr, CVTC’s Dean of Academic Affairs, to see if this might be possible. They were really supportive and said if I can get my classes rescheduled, it was possible. I worked out a schedule with my co-workers Dawn Irwin, Echocardiography Instructor and Nee Barnor, Sonography Instructor and it is happening.”

“In the developed countries there are sonographers, but in the rest of the world the doctors do the ultrasounds. The idea of having a technologist doing an ultrasound instead of the doctor is relatively new. The few people who are scanning are cross trained radiographers; they are radiologic technologists who someone has just shown how to do ultrasound. It looks like I’ll be doing some instruction to physicians, as well as the students and the faculty of Kigali.”

“CVTC has been really accommodating. They are considering my time in Africa staff development and the CVTC Foundation even fronted the money for the plane tickets.” Kigali Health Institute will reimburse the foundation for the travel expense. “The college is paying for the shipping of all donated items to Africa.” Penrose will be keeping a blog that chronicles his time at Kigali.His blog is already up and running and explains more about what he will be doing in Rwanda as well as listing all the donations he has received.

When asked about the safety of his trip to Rwanda, Penrose is not concerned. “Rwanda is one of the most stable countries in Africa right now. After the genocide it was unstable for about five years, but it has been pretty stable for about the last eight years.”

What Penrose is concerned about is his contribution in Kigali. “An ultrasound instructor named Lori Kimbrow, from the University of Arkansas, is coming with her family to Kigali for five years in the fall. In my mind I’m just trying to get people scanning so they will be more prepared when she arrives in the fall.”

Penrose wants everyone to know he will have a tiny bit of rest and relaxation during his African adventure. “I’m going to go on a gorilla trek, think Dian Fossey and Gorillas in the Mist. You hike up a mountain and sit with the gorillas for an hour or so in the woods. I also have a three day layover in London on my way back home.”

To learn more about Leif Penrose and his time in Rwanda please visit his blog http://kigalisonography.blogspot.com/

Leif’s Schedule in Kigali
May 5th - arrive
May 6th - orientation and tour of city and local hospital to meet staff
May 7th through May 16- Teach technologists at CUHK (May 7, 8, 9, 12-16) - 8 days
May 19 - May 23 & June 2 to June 6 - teach technologists at King Faisal -10 days
May 26 - 30 - teach current students basic instrumentation, scanning, etc. (5 days)
June 9 & 10 - 2 day physician workshop (instrumentation & OB/ abdominal procedures)
June 12 & 13 - general lecture on Ultrasound for technologists (in conjunction with other Medical imaging lectures)
June 16 to June 25 - teach Ultrasound to KHI faculty (teach to current radiology instructors)

Donations may be sent to:
Terry Konn, PhD, RT
c/o John Ndahiriwe
Kigali Health Institute
Medical Imaging Department
BP 3286 Avenue de L'Armee
Kigali, Rwanda