2019 has been a glorious year! As we wind down the year, thank you for taking this journey with us. We have made several steps in the right direction and these would not have been possible without your generous donation(s).
Here are the brief updates:
Our Master of Science in Neurosurgery program enrolled its first cohort of students this year. The three students started the program in August and are well on their way to becoming skilled additions to our work force.
This week, in conjunction with the Association of Surgeons of Uganda (ASOU), we are hosting the annual meeting of College of Surgeons of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), under the theme: "Access to Safe Surgical Care: A Universal Perspective". The COSECSA annual meeting is an important opportunity for physicians in the region to meet and discuss different ways to improve healthcare service delivery in the region. NSU's efforts to increase neurosurgical care access and quality are a pertinent inclusion.
As you spend Christmas with your loved ones this season, we at NSU wish you all of God's blessings. Thank you for partnering with us to make life better and please continue to share our vision and mission every chance you get.
God bless you, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Shem Opolot
Hello NSU Family,
i hope you’re blessed and being the best versions of yourselves. We as The Neurosurgical Society of Uganda are actively trying to do the same as we prioritize capacity building, training and research in neurosurgery in Uganda.
This report will be brief as there is not a lot to update you on this time round:
1. Our enrollment for our first class of residents in our Master of Medicine in Neurosurgery at Makerere University started last month. We enrolled 5 students! This feat would not have been possible without you all.
2. This year, we host the annual meeting for the College of Surgeons for East, Central and Southern African (COSECSA) in December and this is a big deal as we get to showcase our progress over the past few years. The COSECSA program and international collaboration is growing stronger and this has several positive implications for us; not the least of which including - better training opportunities for our neurosurgeons.
Thank you so much for all your love and support. We are able to thrive today because you gave us a jolt of support. Please do continue supporting us and sharing our mission and story with your networks.
Together we will improve the state of neurosurgery in Uganda.
God bless you always!
Hello NSU Family,
It is always such a pleasure to share our progress with you.
Here are some quick updates:
NSU is growing slowly but surely, with more and more structures in place to ensure our efficient functioning.
As we mentioned in the beginning, we have always tried to prioritize training and research. While our training program is up and running, our research programs are still lagging behind. In order to kickstart our research arm, we need dedicated staff to run the program, and identify and execute worthy research projects. Hiring skilled staff to run these research programs is quite costly, so we will need to do more fundraising, as well as increase our revenue from Mengo Hospital. We will get there in time and I will not let you forget it when it happens.
Last time I mentioned NSU was vying for a few grants; however, we did not win one of the grants. The other grant opportunity is still looming and we are very optimistic we will win the grant.
Our Master of Medicine in Neurosurgery (MMed. Neurosurgery) starts in August and we expect to start with a class of 5 students. At the enrollment rate of five (5) students per year, we will easily surpass our goal to train 30 neurosurgeons in Uganda by 2030.
Lastly, this month we are happy to host Leena from GlobalGiving. We look to learning from her and sharing a piece of our beautiful country.
As always, thank you for your time and thank you for supporting NSU.
Shem Opolot
Executive Director
Hello NSU Family!
It has been a rather slow start to the year for us. While we are still fulfilling our commitment to covering Dr. Lydia’s monthly stipend, we would like to do more.
A lot of the changes we would like to make are tied to larger government policy and therefore we are still stuck in the advocacy stage. However, we are still covering ground in other areas:
We have applied for a few local and international grants that will allow us to improve the learning experience of our neurosurgeons and consequently enable us to churn out more world class neurosurgeons. One of the grants, which are very likely to win, will allow us to build a skills laboratory that will help sharpen the surgical skills of our students. Hopefully, in the next update, I’ll be announcing that we in fact won this grant. So watch this space.
This year, Uganda is hosting the annual College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) conference in December. This is a great opportunity to showcase our progress and highlight the success of our neurosurgeons and residents.
Additionally, one of the items consuming most of our time currently is the start of our Masters of Medicine in Neurosurgery program. This program will be the first of its kind in Uganda and will be a huge step on our journey to training at least 30 neurosurgeons by 2030. We plan to enroll at least 5 students yearly, so if you do the maths, we will exceed our target by a lot. We are at the final stage of the process of approving the program, so it is only a matter of time.
Thank you so much for walking with us on this journey, and please continue to shamelessly name drop our project at the dinner table.
More pertinently, this International Women’s Day, allow me to highlight our very own: Dr. Julie Sekabunga and Dr. Lydia Nanjula. These ladies are trailblazers in Uganda and they continue to inspire us and many young ladies after them to pursue their most ambitious dreams. We as NSU hope these stories inspire you to be your best in your various pursuits and vocations.
Thank you and until next time,
God bless you always,
Shem
Merry Christmas, NSU Family!
It is always a pleasure to write to you and share our progress along this great and important journey. Once again, thank you for choosing to walk with us.
As we shared in our last report, we started using the funds you donate(d) so far to adopt and support our first resident, Dr. Lydia Nanjula. We will continue to support Dr. Lydia for the entirety of her study, and hopefully, as we get more donations and gain sustainability, we will adopt and support more residents. We plan to support a minimum of 3 residents yearly in the near future, enabling us to easily meet and surpass our goal of Training 30 Neurosurgeons in Uganda by 2030.
Here are a few updates since our last report:
As we transition into the Christmas holiday season, things are slowing down here. Christmas is a good time to plan for the future but also reflect on how far we’ve come. NSU is grateful for your generosity and support.
May you and your loved be blessed this Christmas. Remember, whenever you get a chance, name drop us and our work in your conversations .
Thank you!
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