10 fellows. . .and the new ones. . .

Last week three doctors from Seattle Children’s flew to Kenya and came to Kijabe to teach our new fellows. In August, we graduated fellows 7, 8, 9, and 10. 

10 Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care doctors scattering all over the country and all over the continent.

The first one in Tanzania

The first one in Rwanda

The first one in Ghana

And 7 for Kenya. . .

One of the newest fellows will be the first Pediatric Emergency Medicine Doctor for Sierra Leone. And two more will start PICUs and Peds Emergency Departments in new parts of Kenya.

As I thought about it this week, I actually let myself process what that means a little – we are building a network of doctors who are motivated, brilliant, and willing to have hope for the sickest of the sick kids – to move the needle even farther when faced with trauma, acute illness, respiratory failure and to fight when others think it is impossible.

Sometimes I can’t even believe I get to be a part of it all. . .in my new role in Education I will hopefully be part of setting up more residencies, more training programs, more ways to teach medicine the way we practice in Kijabe, but for now, looking back over this decade, I am grateful for these students who have become friends and their shared passion to make sick kids better. . .