Department of Global Health Where We Work

The University of Nairobi is the largest university in Kenya and is home to numerous world-class training programs. The Faculty of Health Sciencesoffers degrees from undergraduate to PhD level. For many years, UTMB has been collaborating with UoN on clinical exchanges and infectious disease research projects.

Maua Methodist Hospital (MMH) is a 230-bed regional referral hospital that serves a population of roughly 600,000 people in the Meru District. Engagement between the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Health Professions, and now the School of Public & Population Health have made MMH one of UTMB's signature sites for interprofessional collaboration. A community health nursing school shares the grounds of the hospital and has established a strong collaboration with the UTMB School of Nursing to enhance nursing education. UTMB Physical and Occupational Therapy faculty have partnered with MMH staff in the areas of training and clinical care. A long-standing collaboration with the Department of Clinical Laboratory Science focuses on strengthening MMH's laboratory capabilities, quality control protocols, as well as promotion of professional development opportunities. Medical students and physician assistant students have the opportunity to visit the hospital for short-term clinical and research electives. Faculty and residents from the Departments of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics support clinical care and clinical training programs at MMH. Finally, a robust collaboration with the MMH Office of Community Health has enabled UTMB to work alongside community health specialists in outreach activities.

Kijabe Hospital is an academic mission hospital located along the Great Rift Valley, roughly 60 km from Nairobi. As a training facility, it is home to numerous high-quality programs for a variety of health professions. UTMB medical faculty and internal medicine residents have the opportunity to do rotations and participate in teaching and clinical care activities.

Sodzo International emerged as a response to the question posed by a UTMB partner in Maua, Kenya,"what do we do about children living on the street?" Through multiple rounds of community engagement, mixed methods assessment and action-reflection work with Kenyan children, families and communities, Sodzo International and UTMB researchers developed a novel socio-ecological intervention to successfully reintegrate over 300 children and youth into supportive and nurturing communities. This "Flourishing Community" model has scaled to over 39 villages, with more than 10,000 weekly participating families dedicated to preventing street-migration by children. The contributions by UTMB students, faculty, and in partnership with Sodzo International, is leading to new understandings of transformational health and well-being for children, families, communities and societies.