Establishing pediatric neurologic care | Overview
Challenge
In Zambia, a Sub-Saharan African country with almost nine million children, there are currently no fully trained Zambian child neurologists available. As a result, treatment of neurologic conditions affecting children is extremely limited.
Where We Started
Boston Children’s Hospital, with support from the Global Health Program and the American Academy of Neurology, responded to Zambia’s significant need for pediatric epilepsy care.
Our Impact
Archana Patel, MD, MPH, a Boston Children’s pediatric neurologist specializing in epilepsy, partnered with the University Teaching Hospital in Zambia and leveraged her experience to expand the training of frontline providers in the care of children with neurologic conditions. This partnership has extended to other initiatives in the country, including close involvement in the mentoring and training of the first two Zambian pediatric neurologists. In addition, Boston Children’s team members conduct teaching, patient care and cooperative learning sessions, as well as telehealth support for remote consultations and EEG reading with their Zambian counterparts.
You Can Make a Difference
With your help, we can train additional pediatric specialists and increase access to specialty care by providing specialty knowledge to other types of health care workers, such as general practitioners and nurses.