ABOUT THE EVENT

Globally there are rising populations of persons experiencing noncommunicable disease and injuries. An estimated 1.3 billion persons live with disability. Rehabilitation services address patient needs to optimize function and manage disability. Multiple international health organizations have calls-to-action to address global health system strengthening, including the World Health Organization (WHO) Rehabilitation 2030.  

Duke Global Neurosurgery & Neurology was established in 2014 to support neurosurgical expansion in Uganda. Surgical and rehabilitation systems face similar disparities in workforce, infrastructure, equipments, and practice guidelines. When these services are strengthened in silo, patient care remains at a loss. 

Neurosurgery and neurorehabilitation are prime examples of services that must exist in tandem to optimize patient outcomes. In 2020, Duke Global Neurosurgery & Neurology extended their efforts to support increasing capacity for neurorehabilitation in Uganda. A panel of providers from the United States and Uganda will reflect on the experience of combining efforts and future visions for partnership.  

SPEAKERS

Kira Bullock, PT, DPT, (moderator) is a practicing neurologic physical therapist and the Director of Rehabilitation Partnership for the Duke Global Neurosurgery and Neurology Division (DGNN) within the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. Her experience as a neurologic physical therapist extends across the care continuum including acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, home health and outpatient settings. She has practiced in the United States as well as internationally in both Kuwait and Uganda. Her research strengths include a strong commitment to international collaboration, knowledge-user engagement, and real-world project application. She joined the Wake Forest University School of Medicine as a National Health Institute (NIH) TL1 Scholar where her research training focused on learning health systems research. Her primary research interest is the involvement and utilization of rehabilitation services along transitions of care for neurologic patient populations in the emerging health systems of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Atwongyeire Night, M.Sc, is a senior physiotherapist with over 12 years of hospital experience, currently working with Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, a tertiary, public and teaching hospital in Uganda. Atwongyeire’s clinical experience has been in acute hospital settings, home based care, and in Community-Based Rehabilitation. Atwongyeire is an early-career researcher, currently collaborating in various research projects. Atwongyeire has a strong background in health promotion, conducting physical activity education in various settings including communities and mass media, and has served as the physical activity contact person for Uganda Association of Physiotherapy (UAP) since 2017. She has been a world Physiotherapy Congress speaker twice representing UAP and she is part of the World Physiotherapy Leadership Programme 2024 cohort. Atwongyeire currently serves as the president of UAP.

Michael M. Haglund MD, PhD, MACM, FAANS holds the endowed chair as the Distinguished Duke Surgery Professor of Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Global Health at Duke University.  His previous clinical expertise focused on the cortical organization of language and mapping eloquent cortical regions during awake brain surgery for intractable epilepsy and he has performed over 7,000 cervical spine procedures. As a partner of the Hubert-Yeargan Center, he serves as a research mentor to Global Health Pathway trainees and as a mentor and supervisor to international trainees at Duke. His main current areas of research focus on applying Vygotsky’s social learning theory to competency based operating room teaching and assessment and in the global health arena on traumatic brain injury and epilepsy treatment. He continues to contribute equipment and supplies to the Uganda Neurosurgery training sites and is in the process of working with colleagues in Singapore to do outreach neurosurgery and training in Southeast Asia.

Herman Kazibwe, Phd is a researcher specializing in physiotherapy and rehabilitation in low-resource and conflict-affected settings. His work focuses on improving rehabilitation outcomes and addressing healthcare challenges in these environments. His study “Otherwise … he will be a beggar” in Disability and Rehabilitation examines physiotherapists' perspectives on measuring rehabilitation outcomes. He contributed to global learning partnerships in physiotherapy, including the Ireland-Uganda initiative in Frontiers in Public Health. His research on barriers faced by parents of children with clubfoot deformity in Uganda was published in Tropical Doctor. Kazibwe's work informs policy and practice to enhance physiotherapy in underserved communities.

David Kitya, MSc, is a distinguished Ugandan neurosurgeon and academic leader. Since joining Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in 1993, he has advanced through various academic positions, becoming a full Professor of Surgery in 2023. He currently serves as the Head of Neurosurgery at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) and is actively involved with the Neurosurgical Society of Uganda, where he holds the position of President. His contributions to neurosurgery in Uganda include organizing specialized camps that have significantly improved patient outcomes and enhanced the skills of local medical professionals.

Etienne Ngeh, Mac, DPT, is a Physiotherapist, Cardiac Rehabilitation Specialist and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).  He holds several significant positions: Chair of the African Regional Community for the Guideline International Network (GIN), Team Lead at the Research Organization for Health Education and Rehabilitation-Cameroon (ROHER-CAM), Head of the Physiotherapy Department at St. Louis University Institute in Douala, Cameroon, Coordinator of the African Rehabilitation Network. He is a research fellow of the Department of Allied Health Professions at the Health Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, England. His research interests is in Health Promotion, Evidence Synthesis, Cardiovascular Health, Rehabilitation, and Clinical Guideline Development and Implementation, Knowledge Translation especially in Africa and Low-and Medium-Income Countries.


This is a hybrid event with both in-person and remote attendance options. Attendance in person is encouraged. Lunch will be available.