SC Connecticut News

Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Uganda have collaborated since 2006 to enhance medical education and research for improved clinical care under the MUYU collaboration. This partnership has facilitated a bidirectional exchange of medical personnel between the two institutions, coordinated by Yale’s Department of Internal Medicine and the MUYU Office at Makerere University.

Currently, pulmonologists Akello Susan Adakun, MBChB, MMed, and Ivan Kimuli, MBChB, MMed, MPH are participating in this program. They arrived from Uganda in April 2024 and are working with Yale’s pulmonary care team. Dr. Adakun focuses on interstitial lung diseases while Dr. Kimuli specializes in sleep medicine.

Their observerships at Yale New Haven Hospital were initially scheduled to begin in April 2020 but were delayed due to COVID-19. Despite this, they connected with Yale faculty virtually through online tutorials, presentations, and case conferences starting in 2020.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) cause inflammation and scarring of the lungs and are often mistaken for tuberculosis (TB) in Uganda. “Since the burden of TB in Uganda is high, all patients with abnormal chest X-rays will be referred for tuberculosis treatment, even if the tests are negative,” says Adakun. She hopes her visit will help reduce misdiagnosis: “If I can correctly diagnose interstitial lung diseases and refer patients for care early enough, I can improve their quality of life.”

Dr. Kimuli became interested in sleep disorders after serving as head of clinical services at the Lung Institute at Makerere University. He aims to establish a sleep service in Uganda: “From this collaboration, I plan to ensure that what I am offering in Uganda is up to standards and within what is acceptable by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.”

At Yale, Adakun and Kimuli have rotated through various departments including the Medical Intensive Care Unit and outpatient clinics while attending lectures with Yale fellows. They work closely with members of Yale’s Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (Yale PCCSM), including Jean Paul Higuero-Sevilla, MD, and Lauren Tobias, MD.

“It's very satisfying to involve someone in your field when they have the potential to make a significant impact back in their home country with what they've learned here at Yale,” says Dr. Tobias.

Drs. Higuero-Sevilla and Tobias have also learned from Adakun and Kimuli about managing patients with limited resources: “If I can only order five tests, which tests would they be? I’ve been thinking a lot more about the essential things that we should have at a minimum for these patients,” says Higuero-Sevilla.

Adakun and Kimuli will return home in October after six months at Yale. They plan to establish new care services for ILDs and sleep disorders at Mulago Hospital complex in Kampala: “The team here is very supportive...Many people are interested in learning about Uganda,” says Kimuli.

The Office of Global Health offers educational opportunities through relationships with institutions worldwide.

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