Empowering Health Professions Education in Africa
Feinberg faculty are helping strengthen the next generation of healthcare professionals far beyond Chicago. Through a longstanding collaboration with the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda, medical educators at Feinberg support a sustainable approach to global health: training educators who will go on to teach thousands of future physicians, nurses and other health professionals.
Led by the Center for Global Health Education, the partnership focuses on health professions education (HPE), a field dedicated to preparing healthcare providers to become effective teachers and mentors. Rather than delivering short-term education support, Feinberg faculty work alongside colleagues abroad to build local teaching capacity through faculty development, curriculum support and program evaluation.
“For me, faculty development is a sustainable, thoughtful, authentic global health initiative,” said Ashti Doobay-Persaud, MD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine and of Medical Education and co-director of the Center for Global Health Education. “By developing teachers, you’re empowering them to teach their students, and those students will go on to care for patients for years to come.”
The collaboration supports a major national priority in Rwanda: dramatically expanding the country’s healthcare workforce without sacrificing quality of care. In response, UGHE developed a health professions education pathway that includes certificate, diploma and master’s degree programs designed to prepare clinicians to become skilled educators.
As a partner, Feinberg has contributed faculty expertise across a range of educational areas, including simulation-based learning, teaching pedagogy and program evaluation. Doobay-Persaud and her colleagues have served as instructors and mentors, both in person and virtually, supporting UGHE in building and refining a program that can have lasting impact across the country.
That work recently earned international recognition when UGHE received a prestigious ASPIRE award for excellence in health professions education, given by the International Association for Health Professions Education. While the award honors UGHE’s program, Doobay-Persaud noted that the achievement reflects the contributions of many individuals and institutions, including Feinberg’s supporting role.
“This award is a testament to UGHE’s leadership and vision,” Doobay-Persaud said. “The work at UGHE has been transformative in the field and we’re grateful to contribute.”
The partnership reflects a broader philosophy guiding Feinberg’s global health efforts, Doobay-Persaud said. Rather than importing solutions, faculty focus on sharing educational expertise while empowering local educators to lead. This approach helps ensure that teaching methods are strengthened without displacing local knowledge and priorities.
“I’m not teaching students what content they should learn,” Doobay-Persaud said. “The faculty know what their students need to learn. What we can do is bring in expertise in how to teach effectively.”
Through philanthropy-supported initiatives, the Center for Global Health Education has partnered with institutions in other countries, including Kenya, to share Northwestern’s educational resources and faculty expertise. Drawing on strengths across Feinberg, including the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators (FAME), educators contribute to programs that develop teaching faculty around the world.
Hiba Abuelgasim, MBBS, MPH, PhD, chair of the Education Development and Quality Center of the University of Global Health Equity, was co-leader of the project and a recipient of the award.
“This recognition reflects UGHE’s commitment to advancing health equity through excellence in education,” Abuelgasim said. “Through our partnership with Feinberg faculty, we have built a program rooted in the realities of African health systems and enriched by global educational expertise. Its impact reaches far beyond UGHE, strengthening institutions and health systems across the continent. Through this collaboration, we are investing in educators whose influence will shape generations of students and the care they provide to countless patients.”
Doobay-Persaud also recently attended a side meeting at the Consortium of Medical Schools of Africa, supporting the World Health Organization’s efforts to develop curricular guidance for HPE programs across Africa.
“Northwestern has such a wealth and depth of knowledge when it comes to excellence in teaching,” Doobay-Persaud said. “It’s been an amazing collaboration for our educators to both learn from and empower health professions education around the world.”
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