Abstract
Duke University biomedical engineering graduate, Allison Keane, was among a team of researchers who developed a curriculum for secondary school graduates in developing countries, most notably, Rwanda. The curriculum is developed to teach local graduates how to repair and maintain existing or donated medical equipment, and in the future pass along the knowledge to others. The goal of the program is to have a sustainable, significant impact on the health care in Rwanda and other developing countries. The GE Foundation recently announced that it will fund the training of biomedical engineering technicians for every hospital in Rwanda. This training will be based upon the new evidence-based curriculum researched and developed by Keane and her team at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. Keane's interest in this type of curriculum development started in 2007 when she began tedious work in compiling, analyzing, and categorizing thousands of documented medical equipment repairs from 60 hospitals in 11 nations in Africa, Europe, Asia and Central America. The work led her to participate in Engineering World Health's Summer Institute in Tanzania at Mount Meru hospital. In her own words, Allison wanted to participate in the Summer Institute in order to, "Through EWH, I would be able to put my education to use in a way that it will most benefit others. I want to help the African people and be able to make a change in their lives, and I truly believe there is no more rewarding experience. I think the best way my education and knowledge can be put to use is to assist the people and hospitals in these underdeveloped countries." While at Mount Meru hospital, she repaired approximately 52 pieces of broken equipment, ranging from blood pressure cuffs to anesthesia machines during her four week stay there. For Allison, her experience in Tanzania was life-changing and inspired her to investigate ways to continue to make an impact and commit additional volunteer time to EWH and Duke University. Allison still carries the experience with her, post-graduation, and has stayed interested in the progress of the initiative.
