In February 2025, I had the opportunity to travel to the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) in Rwanda to learn about local practices in pediatric gastroenterology as well as provide guest lectures to medical students and pediatric residents. I had visited Kigali 15 years prior, and it was amazing to see how much had changed.
Pediatric subspecialty access can be difficult in resource-limited settings. My colleague, Dr. Habimana Gaspard, seeks to address part of that gap as Rwanda’s first certified pediatric gastroenterologist at CHUK. At his invitation, I was able to learn about region-specific GI issues, observe endoscopic procedures, and participate in hospital rounds. By far, my favorite part of the experience was having the opportunity to discuss malnutrition and liver failure with senior medical students.
Rwanda has many of the same pediatric GI issues we see at our Madison clinics: constipation, reflux, and chronic abdominal pain. After completing his GI training at sites in South Korea and the U.S., Dr. Gaspard’s CHUK GI clinic is now well known within the region, and volumes continue to increase. Faculty at CHUK seek to establish a pediatric GI fellowship to facilitate further subspecialty access. I hope to support this initiative through curriculum development along with my colleagues in the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Global Health Special Interest Group.
