Aneesha Kamath, MD, combined med-peds infectious diseases fellow, joined the AMPATH Kenya partnership for six weeks to work with IU and Kenyan colleagues on infectious disease care and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH).
“I rounded with the infectious disease consult service in adult and pediatric wards at MTRH,” Dr. Kamath said. “I also taught lectures to medical students and pediatric registrars.”
She emphasized the importance of AMPATH’s AMR effort, “Antimicrobial resistance affects patients and health care systems worldwide, but like many obstacles in healthcare systems, it seems that low- and middle-income countries are faced with a higher and more complex burden of AMR.”
Limited diagnostic testing, the hospital’s physical environment and decreased availability of pharmaceutical options are all challenges that doctors in Kenya face.
- While in Eldoret, she participated in clinical rounds and collaborated with IU colleagues Drs. Steven Hatch and Jack Schneider, Kenyan partners Drs. Cyprian Ong’era and Celia Ngetich, Purdue Global Health PharmD Fellow Dr. Adriana Gardner, and other members of the AMPATH Consortium. Her work was sponsored by both the adult and pediatric ID divisions at IU School of Medicine and the Merck/O’Donnell funds.
“It was an incredible learning opportunity for me, and it shaped some of my ideas for future career aspirations,” she said. “I am hopeful to go back and round again on the ID consult service if funding allows. I am so grateful that IU supported this experience for me and hope other fellows will seize the opportunity.”
