Back on the Road2IR

We start by reviewing the origin story of Road2IR. In 2017, Dr. Laage Gaupp had been a second-year diagnostic radiology resident when he traveled to Tanzania for an IR readiness assessment. He found that most of the infrastructure to support IR procedures were already in place; however, there was no formal training program. From there, he and other Road2IR co-founders launched East Africa’s first IR training program, as a collaborative effort between Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Yale Radiology, Emory Radiology, and many other partner institutions. Since then, graduates of the training program have gone on to become professors of IR in Tanzania as well as other countries.

The early years of the program required a lot of flexibility and patience, due to the limited amount of resources. It was necessary to start with simple procedures like core needle biopsies, abscess drainages, and nephrostomy tubes. Additionally, Dr. Gichoya emphasizes that these ordinary procedures can make a drastic difference in a patient’s life and even impact entire families. Being able to perform and teach a full spectrum of minimally invasive, life-saving procedures energizes her and other faculty members who donate their time and energy.

Dr. Newsome has served as the program director for the MUHAS IR program, and she speaks about the challenges that arose during the COVID pandemic, in terms of healthcare policy in Tanzania, as well as restrictions for university faculty travel in the United States. Through the height of the pandemic, the training program persisted with virtual oral examinations, meetings, and lectures. The logistics of travel, equipment, and education are still major challenges today, and they are addressed by a dedicated team of individuals with common goals.

Finally, we cover the concept of reverse innovation, aspects of healthcare in under-resourced settings that can inform the U.S. healthcare system. These include lessons in building local service lines, avoiding turf wars, and embracing technology.