Program for Advanced Training in Hydrocephalus (PATH)
CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda's Former Chief of Surgery, Dr. Benjamin Warf, published research that proves the effectiveness of the Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV) procedure for the treatment of hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition characterized by an abnormal accumulation of fluid around the brain. Left untreated, it leads to significant neurological and physical problems and ultimately death. CCHU offers a program to provide training and equipment to establish three new "ETV Centers" each year. PATH Fellows train at CCHU for three months and upon completion of their training establishes a center for the surgical treatment of hydrocephalus in their own country. CCHU provides approximately $30,000 worth of equipment for each new center. The first PATH Fellow has already established such a program in western Tanzania. CCHU has PATH applicants from Ghana, Zambia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Nepal, Senegal, Honduras and Madagascar.
Other Training Programs in Uganda
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Program of Uganda and East Africa
Eighty-five percent of people suffering from epilepsy live in developing countries. In East Africa, the prevalence of epilepsy is ten times greater than in North America. There is no medical or surgical treatment center for epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. CCHU, in collaboration with the Medical School of West Virginia University, has established such a program. The goals of this program are to
- Identify, evaluate and treat Ugandans with epilepsy,
- Train African physicians in the evaluation and treatment of epilepsy, and
- Conduct research on the causes of epilepsy in Africa and best practices for treatment.
In 2005 Dr. Warf and Dr. Warren Boling of West Virginia University performed the first three epilepsy surgeries ever done in the region. They plan to evaluate 70 additional patients and perform more than 20 additional epilepsy surgeries in the first year of the program.
Neurosurgical Training Center for Sub-Saharan Africa
With the encouragement and support of international neurosurgical societies, CCHU has established a Fellowship Program for pediatric neurosurgeons. It is the only such program on the continent. Two neurosurgeons per year will study and work at CCHU, to focus their skills on children and to concentrate on a range of afflictions of the brain and central nervous system.
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