BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:globalhealth.duke.edu BEGIN:VEVENT UID:37d93ed6d4f35163b128bc9d2ebc547e DTSTART;TZID=US/Eastern:20250917T120000 SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE DTEND;TZID=US/Eastern:20250917T130000 URL:https://globalhealth.duke.edu/events/climbing-thousand-hills-rebuilding -rwandas-health-system-after-genocide LOCATION:040 Trent Hall\, plus Zoom webinar SUMMARY:Climbing A Thousand Hills: Rebuilding Rwanda’s Health System Afte r Genocide CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:ABOUT THE EVENT\n\nFollowing the 1994 genocide against the Tuts is in Rwanda\, the country\nfaced a national health crisis\, with more tha n 80 percent of its\nhospitals destroyed and a majority of health professi onals lost during\nthe genocide. Rwanda’s Ministry of Health\, in partne rship with many\nstakeholders\, implemented comprehensive health-sector re forms to\nstrengthen the public health system\, including construction of health\nfacilities to decentralize access to lower levels of care and expa nd\nuniversal health coverage. The Society for Family Health (SFH)\, the\n largest nonprofit provider of primary care in Rwanda\, was among the\ncrit ical forces in contributing to rebuilding the country’s health\nsystem\, establishing more than 300 health posts across remote areas of\nthe count ry that make primary health services accessible to more than\n5 million pe ople.\n\nIn this Think Global event\, Manasseh Wandera\, SFH’s executive \ndirector for Rwanda and South Sudan\, will discuss the key steps in\nres toring healthcare delivery and access in the country\, as well as\nongoing strategies to expand access to care across the East African\nregion. This in-person presentation\, coinciding with Wandera’s\ntenure as a visitin g scholar with DGHI’s Center for Policy Impact in\nGlobal Health\, will be followed by a panel discussion of Rwanda’s\nhealthcare renaissance an d current challenges facing the country and\nits neighbours. Topics will i nclude healthcare delivery systems\,\nworkforce development\, and the use of data and AI to accelerate\ndiagnostic accuracy and improve patient outc omes.\n\nSPEAKERS\n\nEMILY SMITH\, PHD\, (MODERATOR) is an Assistant Profe ssor with the Duke\nGlobal Health Institute with research interests includ ing children’s\nglobal surgery\, health-systems strengthening in low-inc ome countries\,\nhealth economics\, and global health policy. As an epidem iologist\, she\nhas worked with her in-country partners at the Edna Adan H ospital in\nSomaliland for the past 5 years on projects related to childre n’s\nsurgical care\, including defining the epidemiologic burden\, asses sing\npoverty trajectories among families with a child’s surgical need\, \ngeospatial analyses\, and healthcare infrastructure. Prior to DGHI\, her \nwork at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (UNC-CH)\ninvolve d utilizing epidemiological methods\, mathematical modeling\ntechniques an d cost-effectiveness research to determine effectiveness\nof various testi ng strategies among HIV exposed infants in sub-Saharan\nAfrica.\n\nBARNABA S ALAYANDE\, MBBS\, MBA\, MPH\, is a specialist general surgeon\,\nAssist ant Professor of Surgery and Co-Chair of the Center for Equity\nin Global Surgery at the University of Global Health Equity in Butaro\,\nRwanda. He is secretary general of the Pan-African Surgical Healthcare\nForum\, and C o-Chair of the Academic Advancement Committee for the\nAssociation for Aca demic Surgery. He has an academic background in\nmedicine and surgery\, ge neral surgery specialty training\, public\nhealth\, business administratio n\, and theology. He holds certificates\nin global surgery from Harvard an d Oxford\, certification in Executive\nLeadership in Global Surgery from U niversity of Cape Town\, and Health\nProfessions Education from the Harvar d Macy Institute. He contributes\nto the development and delivery of novel \, equity-driven\,\ncontextualized\, technical and non-technical surgical curricula at\nundergraduate and postgraduate levels in the sub-Saharan Afr ican\ncontexts. \n\nMAGGIE CONLAN is a current second year MsGH student a t the Duke Global\nHealth Institute. She recently travelled to Kigali\, Rw anda as part of\nher master's thesis work. While in Kigali she met with th e Society for\nFamily Health (SFH) team to finalize plans and coordinate n ext steps\nfor a collaborative research project in partnership with the Ce nter\nfor Policy Impact in Global Health at Duke and spent time visiting\n health posts\, learning about SFH’s ongoing and upcoming projects\,\nand meeting with nurse entrepreneurs. Her research focuses on patient\nprefer ences in healthcare seeking choices and increasing patient\nutilization of health posts in coordination with SFH.\n\nELEANOR STEVENSON\, PHD\, RN\, FAAN is a clinical professor of Nursing at\nDuke University School of Nurs ing. Her area of inquiry focuses on the\nmultidimensional psychological st ress women who have conceived\npregnancies via in-vitro fertilization expe rience as well as the\nadaptive behaviors of men with male-factor infertil ity. She is also\nengaged in inquiry about how men can increase access to primary care\nvia female-facing care models such as infertility treatment and family\nplanning. At Duke University\, she teaches in the DNP\, MSN\, and ABSN\nprograms and mentors baccalaureate\, master’s\, and doctoral s tudents\nwho focus their inquiry and practice on fertility issues to advan ce\nscience and clinical care.\n\nMANASSEH G. WANDERA is the Executive Dir ector of the Society for\nFamily Health Rwanda (SFH)\, the largest nationa l non-profit health\norganization operating in all 30 districts of Rwanda. Since 2012\, he\nhas led SFH’s growth in scope\, partnerships\, and hea lth impact\,\nadvancing Universal Health Coverage through primary healthca re\, social\nmarketing\, behavior change communication\, and public health \ninnovations. Under his leadership\, SFH has partnered with government\, \nUN agencies\, donors\, and NGOs to strengthen health systems\, build ove r\n300 health posts\, support 90 health centers\, and train more than 1\,0 00\nCommunity Health Workers—working towards a vision of 1\,000\nfacilit ies in Rwanda and 100\,000 across Africa. Mr. Wandera holds an\nMBA from M aastricht School of Management and advanced degrees in\ndevelopment studie s and public administration. He lives in Kigali with\nhis wife and four ch ildren.\n\n_This is a hybrid event with both in-person and remote attendan ce\noptions. Attendance in person is encouraged. Lunch will be\navailable.  _\n X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

ABOUT THE EVENT

Following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda\, the country faced a national health crisis\, with more than 80 percent of its hospitals destroyed and a majority of health professionals lost durin g the genocide. Rwanda’s Ministry of Health\, in partnership with many s takeholders\, implemented comprehensive health-sector reforms to strengthe n the public health system\, including construction of health facilities t o decentralize access to lower levels of care and expand universal health coverage. The Society for Family Health (SFH)\, the largest nonprofit prov ider of primary care in Rwanda\, was among the critical forces in contribu ting to rebuilding the country’s health system\, establishing more than 300 health posts across remote areas of the country that make primary heal th services accessible to more than 5 million people.

In this Think Global event\, Manasseh Wandera\, SFH’s executive director for Rwanda and South Sudan\, will discuss the key steps in restoring heal thcare delivery and access in the country\, as well as ongoing strategies to expand access to care across the East African region. This in-person pr esentation\, coinciding with Wandera’s tenure as a visiting scholar with DGHI’s Center for Policy Impact in Global Health\, will be followed by a panel discussion of Rwanda’s healthcare renaissance and current challe nges facing the country and its neighbours. Topics will include healthcare delivery systems\, workforce development\, and the use of data and AI to accelerate diagnostic accuracy and improve patient outcomes.

SPEAKERS

Emily Smith\, PhD\, (moderator) is an Assistant Professor with the Duke Global Health Institute with research interests including children’s global su rgery\, health-systems strengthening in low-income countries\, health econ omics\, and global health policy. As an epidemiologist\, she has worked wi th her in-country partners at the Edna Adan Hospital in Somaliland for the past 5 years on projects related to children’s surgical care\, includin g defining the epidemiologic burden\, assessing poverty trajectories among families with a child’s surgical need\, geospatial analyses\, and healt hcare infrastructure. Prior to DGHI\, her work at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) involved utilizing epidemiological methods \, mathematical modeling techniques and cost-effectiveness research to det ermine effectiveness of various testing strategies among HIV exposed infan ts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Barnabas Alayande\, MBBS\, MBA\, MPH\, \;is a specialist general surgeon\, Assist ant Professor of Surgery and Co-Chair of the Center for Equity in Global S urgery at the University of Global Health Equity in Butaro\, Rwanda. He is secretary general of the Pan-African Surgical Healthcare Forum\, and Co-C hair of the Academic Advancement Committee for the Association for Academi c Surgery. He has an academic background in medicine and surgery\, general surgery specialty training\, public health\, business administration\, an d theology. He holds certificates in global surgery from Harvard and Oxfor d\, certification in Executive Leadership in Global Surgery from Universit y of Cape Town\, and Health Professions Education from the Harvard Macy In stitute. He contributes to the development and delivery of novel\, equity- driven\, contextualized\, technical and non-technical surgical curricula a t undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the sub-Saharan African context s. \;

Maggie Conlan is a current second year MsGH student at the Duke Global Health Institute. She recently travelled to Kigali\, Rwanda as part of her master's thesis work. While i n Kigali she met with the Society for Family Health (SFH) team to finalize plans and coordinate next steps for a collaborative research project in p artnership with the Center for Policy Impact in Global Health at Duke and spent time visiting health posts\, learning about SFH’s ongoing and upco ming projects\, and meeting with nurse entrepreneurs. Her research focuses on patient preferences in healthcare seeking choices and increasing patie nt utilization of health posts in coordination with SFH.

Eleanor Stevenson\, PhD\, RN\, FAAN is a clinical prof essor of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing. Her area of inquiry focuses on the multidimensional psychological stress women who have conce ived pregnancies via in-vitro fertilization experience as well as the adap tive behaviors of men with male-factor infertility. She is also engaged in inquiry about how men can increase access to primary care via female-faci ng care models such as infertility treatment and family planning. At Duke University\, she teaches in the DNP\, MSN\, and ABSN programs and mentors baccalaureate\, master’s\, and doctoral students who focus their inquiry and practice on fertility issues to advance science and clinical care.

Manasseh G. Wandera is the Executive Di rector of the Society for Family Health Rwanda (SFH)\, the largest nationa l non-profit health organization operating in all 30 districts of Rwanda. Since 2012\, he has led SFH’s growth in scope\, partnerships\, and healt h impact\, advancing Universal Health Coverage through primary healthcare\ , social marketing\, behavior change communication\, and public health inn ovations. \;Under his leadership\, SFH has partnered with government\, UN agencies\, donors\, and NGOs to strengthen health systems\, build over 300 health posts\, support 90 health centers\, and train more than 1\,000 Community Health Workers—working towards a vision of 1\,000 facilities in Rwanda and 100\,000 across Africa. Mr. Wandera holds an MBA from Maastr icht School of Management and advanced degrees in development studies and public administration. He lives in Kigali with his wife and four children.

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

DTSTAMP:20250912T215350Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR