Three New MEPI-T Trainees at Weill-Bugando

The Medical Education Partnership Initiative-Tanzania (MEPI-T) is a partnership between Weill Cornell Medical College, Duke University, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University (KCMU College), and the Weill-Bugando Medical College of the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS) to support research training of junior faculty.

Dr. Haruna Dika, Dr. Neema Kayange, and Dr. Bahati Wajanga

The three new MEPI-T trainees at Weill-Bugando are Dr. Neema Kayange, Dr. Bahati Wajanga, and Dr. Haruna Dika.

Dr. Kayange’s research will look at the causes of renal disease in young people in Tanzania. Although renal disease is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in children in Tanzania, the causes of the disease have not been well established. Based on pilot data, we believe that schistosomiasis is an important, preventable risk factor for renal disease in this population, but this has not been proven. Dr. Kayange will be conducting a prospective study in several local primary schools to investigate the prevalence and the incidence of renal disease in school children in the Mwanza region.

Dr. Wajanga will conduct research pertaining to heart failure, which is a leading cause of death in adults in Africa and is associated with poor short and long-term outcomes. Dr. Bahati will be conducting a prospective study at two local hospitals to investigate the factors associated with mortality and readmissions in adult outpatients with heart failure. Dr. Bahati will investigate the roles of social support, health insurance and health knowledge on heart failure outcomes. 

Dr. Dika’s research focuses on epilepsy. Epilepsy is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among adults in Tanzania and services for individuals with epilepsy are reportedly poor in Tanzania. Dr. Dika will be conducting a prospective study at several clinics in Mwanza to determine the rates of seizure recurrence, other complications of epilepsy, and the factors associated with better outcomes. In particular, he will investigate the roles of drug adherence, drug absorption, infections, and markers of quality of care.