One Health web feature — inspirational Buckeyes

By Christine O’Malley
Executive Director of Health Sciences

Our university communications team just posted this great web feature on our One Health initiative in Ethiopia:

Here’s the link to the full story:

http://www.osu.edu/features/2014/destination-ethiopia.html

Things that struck me from the video:

Cervical cancer is the second-highest cause of death in Ethiopia, yet it’s very treatable if caught early. Our cervical cancer project is working to address that.

The student interviewed, Korbin Smith, went to Ethiopia as part of the rabies project. This was a fantastic student learning experience for him and our other students. This initiative benefits both our partners in Ethiopia by improving people’s lives and our community here at Ohio State by providing international learning opportunities.

I hope you are inspired as much as I am by our faculty, students, and One Health partners.

Optometry Pride, Worldwide

By Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD
College of Optometry

Office of the Director of the Department of Optometry, Destaye Shiferaw

Office of the Director of the Department of Optometry, Destaye Shiferaw

Yesterday, Ohio State College of Optometry faculty members, Dr. Dean VanNasdale and Dr. Andrew Emch made their way to the Department of Optometry housed in the International Fistula Training Center at the University of Gondar. The Department’s mission statement reads, “The profession of optometry offers comprehensive eye care services to all mankind. The training program has the philosophy of producing skilled manpower equipped with adequate knowledge, skills and attitude to deliver such eye care services in the most ethical manner, both on the national and international level.” What institution wouldn’t aspire to that?

Optics lesson/ray tracing white board

Optics lesson/ray tracing white board

Hosted by Department Director, Destaya Shiferaw, and several of the faculty, Dr. Andrew and Dr. Dean were struck by many things that surprised them. Dr. Dean found that the optometry bond ran deep, declaring the faculty at UoG “more similar than different to us,” and he was struck by the faculty’s honesty and candor and that they truly held nothing back. Dr. Andrew declared the faculty, “Enthusiastic and proud, yet self-aware.” Unusual characteristics for faculty members, don’t you think?

UoG and OSU Optometry academicians

UoG and OSU optometry academicians

Destaya and colleagues are clearly altruistic, focused on the larger community and the optometric profession. They had a clear “vision” of the future of optometry in the country and all of Africa, and envision themselves as leaders in public health as it relates to eye care in east Africa. The two teams spent several hours in completely open, engaged communication. They return tomorrow to tour the clinical facilities and discuss strategies for advanced contact lens fitting instruction and practice in the UoG clinic. Stay tuned.

Learning from Ethiopia’s ‘MacGyver’ doctors

coffee

From left, Tikur Anbessa’s Dr. Mersha, neurosurgery chief, and Dr. Ebenezer with Ohio State’s Dr. Eric Sauvageau and Dr. Andrew Shaw as they enjoy coffee before making rounds at Tikur Anbessa (Black Lion) teaching medical center at Addis Ababa University. (Photo by Rick Harrison, Ohio State University Communications)

By Andrew Shaw
Clinical House Instructor at Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State

Since returning from Ethiopia I am filled with excitement. The people there are incredibly welcoming, warm, and giving. They invited us to see their patients, wards, and hospitals. The doctors there exhibit such passion for medicine, learning, and are always wanting a lecture.

Establishing a long term relationship with the Neurosurgery Department at Black Lion hospital will be mutually beneficial.

Upon our arrival, I believed we would be the teachers, but I often found myself on the learning end. The pathology they see is often advanced and requires much skill to treat.

You might recall the show MacGyver. As Wikipedia says, “Resourceful and possessed of an encyclopedic knowledge of the physical sciences, [MacGyver] solves complex problems with everyday materials he finds at hand, along with his ever-present duct tape and Swiss Army knife.”

Our Ethiopian partners are the “MacGyvers” of medicine doing amazing things with limited resources.

Show and Tell: Our “First Kits” in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains

tim landers 3

By: Tim Landers, RN, PhD
Ohio State College of Nursing

This past weekend, we had a chance to take a hiking tour of the Simien mountains in Ethiopia.  This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth – the landscapes are gorgeous, the people are smiling and proud, and there is plenty of wildlife.

I have done quite a bit of hiking with my two sons and friends from Boy Scout Troop 33 in Columbus.  As we were hiking across the Simien mountain pass, our guide and I chatted about our experiences hiking and guiding groups.

Melese Beza (of www.outstandingsimienmountainstours.com) grew up tending livestock as a shepherd and works as a professional tour guide through the mountains as he completes his bachelor’s degree in tourism management.  He speaks English quite well and we began to talk about the types of health problems he encounters as a professional hiking guide.

We took a break as it began to rain and started a “show and tell” of our first aid kits.  He had a basic kit ready for the main emergencies from African trekking – including what he adoringly called “potions” such as acetaminophen, wound disinfectant, and diarrheal medications.

Simien Mountain tour guide Melese Beza of Outstanding Simien Mountains Tours and Tim Landers, RN, PhD do a show and tell of their first aid kits during a rain break while trekking through the Simien Mountains north of Gondar, Ethiopia.

Ohio State’s Tim Landers and Simien Mountain tour guide Melese Beza do a “show and tell” of their first aid kits during a rain break while trekking through the Simien Mountains north of Gondar, Ethiopia.

The two take turns with their "show and tell" on first aid.

The two take turns with their “show and tell” on first aid.

He used somewhat different terms, but described several conditions which would be expected – ankle “dislocations” (strains/sprains), altitude sickness, injuries from rock falls (abrasions and cuts), and blood sugar emergencies.  He also described unfortunate drowning victims he recalled from last summer and that they had attempted “breath blowing” with success in one victim.

In my training back home, we’ve prepared for emergency evacuation of wounded hikers by helicopter transport, extricating from deep woods by foot and by vehicle, and most of our Scouts have completed training in first aid and CPR.

In this region of Ethiopia, there is no such option.  There are no helicopter evacuations from the Simien Mountains.  Guides call for help and it will come as soon as word can reach the village by foot and a jeep, configured as an ambulance, can make it to the wounded person.

As we discussed how injured hikers are treated and our own experiences, I was impressed with his solid grasp on these conditions.  He has been working with several other guides trying to organize a more formal training in first aid and CPR for Simien Mountain guides.

Because our group is exploring the possibility of working with nurses and health extension workers to do health education, I was able to direct him to some excellent training resources developed by my friends at Columbia University School of Nursing. They have developed a fine first aid training curriculum in first aid for health extension workers.

I left him with some supplies from my kit and he reciprocated by sharing knowledge of local plants and remedies.

He left me with an appreciation for the training and preparation it takes to safely enjoy the outdoors – whether it is in Ohio or in Ethiopia.

Welcome!

The Ohio State University Health Science Colleges established the One Health Ethiopia Task Force in August 2012. Our goal is to develop a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership with Ethiopian academic and affiliate partners, especially the University of Gondar and Addis Ababa University.

Because Ohio State has seven health science colleges on one campus, unlike any other American university, we are able to offer our Ethiopian partners unprecedented interdisciplinary collaboration that results in healthier, happier, more productive lives for Ethiopia’s citizens. The work we do is also intended to be replicated elsewhere, amplifying the impact of our collaboration.

This blog features the activities of our faculty and students involved in:

Our faculty and students are in Ethiopia to collaborate, educate, and inspire.

We hope you enjoy our offerings!