About the program

In 2017, we performed an IR readiness assessment of the Muhimbili hospital system in Dar es Salaam and found that there is not a single interventional radiologist in Tanzania, a nation of currently almost 60 million and projected population of over 100 million by 2040. We based our assessment on the IR Readiness Assessment Tool for Global Health proposed by Kline et al. which allowed for an objective institution infrastructure assessment regarding IR including review of imaging facilities, equipment, nursing services, and availability of medications.

Our assessment demonstrated that most relevant imaging modalities, including Ultrasound, CT, and fluoroscopy are already available at Muhimbili. Furthermore, there is availability of nursing services and technologists, and most relevant equipment can be stocked as needed. Most importantly, there is a three year Diagnostic Radiology training program with up 25 residents per year, many of whom are interested in IR but have no access to training.

Based on the findings of our assessment we developed a plan to address the urgent need for IR in Tanzania. We believe that establishing an IR training program in Dar es Salaam in collaboration with RAD-AID and academic institutions from across the US will provide the most effective and sustainable solution with lasting impact on the Tanzanian healthcare system.

The end-goal is a self- sustaining IR residency program at Muhimbili, with Tanzanian IR faculty training Tanzanian residents. In collaboration with RAD-AID and academic hospitals from across the US, we are planning to send up to thirty groups of interventional radiologists accompanied by IR technologists and IR nurses to Tanzania in two-week blocks over the next three to five years.

We are working with the IR program of RAD-AID and the Resident, Fellow and Student section of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR RFS) on creating an IR curriculum for the resource limited setting. This will provide an educational blueprint for establishing and maintaining comprehensive Interventional Radiology training programs in the developing world. The curriculum focuses on teaching routine and high yield procedures with supplementation of more complex procedures as the program matures.

There are numerous ways for trainees, faculty, nurses, and technologists from Yale and other institutions to get involved, including joining upcoming trips to provide hands-on IR training in Tanzania and partnering with Yale and RAD-AID to expand our global IR lecture sharing program. Please provide your information in the contact form to receive more details regarding upcoming trips and opportunities.

Yale radiology residents can participate in our effort to build an IR training program in Tanzania as part of their ACGME approved Global Radiology Elective during their fourth year of training and should apply directly to Dr. Frank Minja. Interested trainees from institutions outside Yale can join IR faculty from their own institution on trips.

IR faculty are the critical component for establishing an IR training program in Tanzania. Ideally, each IR faculty should be joined by an IR technologist, an IR nurse, and at least one IR trainee from their own institution. If this is not possible, attempts will be made to coordinate with trainees, technologists, and nurses from other programs.

Each two-week trip will focus on teaching a limited number of procedures, based on the RAD-AID IR curriculum for the resource limited setting. The teaching schedule is flexible and can be adapted according to faculty and trainee preference.

Integrated with the RAD-AID IR program and in close collaboration with the RAD-AID Tanzania program we offer opportunities for nurses and technologists to participate in establishing IR training for nurses and technologists in Tanzania. Technologists and nurses can either travel with trainees or IR faculty from their institution as detailed above or can apply independently. If you are a technologist or nurse with a background in IR and are interested to participate in any of the upcoming trips please fill out the contact form provided. You will then be registered with RAD-AID, which provides the backbone of this operation and can offer routes of funding if certain criteria are met.

Medical students interested in global health and IR are welcome to apply for upcoming trips. When participating in IR outreach trips to Tanzania, medical students can assist with the ongoing assessment and evaluation of IR implementation in Tanzania, which will help guide expansion of the RAD-AID IR program to other sites. Furthermore, medical students can assist with planning and coordination of trips, requesting of donations and supplies, preparation of teaching materials, and website maintenance.

Yale IR is partnering with RAD-AID and academic institutions from across the US to provide regular high-yield didactic IR lectures to our partner programs overseas. The goal is to provide at least one IR-lecture per week. Residents interested in IR in Tanzania and from other partner programs can follow these lectures live from their laptops or smartphones. If you are from a US institution and would like to participate in this effort please provide your information in the contact form, the more lectures we can provide the better. If you are at a program overseas with no access to IR lectures and would like to get access, please send a request via email (see contact information).

While our IR outreach project is focused on training Tanzanian residents in Tanzania with help of visiting IR faculty, we believe that creating IR elective opportunities for Tanzanian residents in the US is important. IR electives can foster understanding of how a large scale IR department functions. By participating in interdisciplinary conferences, outpatient clinics, ward rounds, the consult service, and by observing a broad range of IR procedures the visiting trainee can gain better understanding of the full potential of IR and apply this knowledge when returning home as a trainee and future expert.

Research presents an opportunity to build lasting connections between trainees from different backgrounds and continents. Participation at international conferences provides a platform to meet peers from around the world, to establish connections, exchange opinions, share ideas, and to learn from each other. The Yale Radiology Research Lab offers opportunities for Tanzanian residents to live and work at Yale for 3-6 months. Our interventional oncology research group aspires to improve the detection, characterization, and treatment of neoplastic disease in the liver. This includes the full breadth of translational research in basic science, pre-clinical, and clinical activities. These research visits can be combined with clinical IR electives, allowing the visiting trainee to learn IR from bench-to-bedside. Institutions outside of Yale are encouraged to join this effort and provide similar research opportunities in IR for visiting trainees.

Kline AD, Dixon RG, Brown MK, Culp MP. Interventional Radiology Readiness Assessment Tool for Global Health. J Glob Radiol. 2017;3(1):Article 2.

Lessne, M. L., Oliverson, B. G., & Suhocki, P. (2014). Interventional procedures for global health radiology. In Radiology in Global Health: Strategies, Implementation, and Applications (Vol. 9781461406044, pp. 181-188). Springer New York.

Kaufman JA, Sacks D, Stainken BF. Denied in Canada: why we need a global
strategic plan for interventional radiology. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2008
Jan;19(1):13-4.

Interventional Radiology: Global Landscape and Cost Effectiveness by the Millenium Research Group

Yale Interventional Oncology Lab Website

RAD-AID Interventional Radiology