ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Healthcare Professions Education
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1647558
Global Health Nephrology Education Collaboration: A US – Kenya Experience
Provisionally accepted
- 1Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
- 2Brown University Division of Biology and Medicine, Providence, United States
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Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing contributor to morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. In response to regional workforce and training gaps, Moi University (MU) in Kenya and Brown University (BU) in the United States launched a collaborative nephrology education initiative in 2018 to strengthen clinical capacity in Western Kenya. Methods: In 2019, stakeholder consultations identified key gaps in nephrology education. Targeted interventions were implemented, and a follow-up survey was conducted in 2023 among MU and BU participants to evaluate the program's impact. Results: At baseline in 2019, only 9% of 45 surveyed clinicians reported confidence in managing nephrology patients, and 26% had participated in a nephrology education session in the previous three years. In response, biweekly virtual case-based conferences were initiated for MU internal medicine residents, who were later invited to join BU's nephrology conferences and journal clubs. A jointly led annual West Kenya Nephrology Conference began in 2018, and since 2019, a senior BU nephrology faculty member has provided annual on-site bedside teaching. By 2023, 96.6% of respondents reported improved confidence in nephrology care. BU nephrology fellows participating in the collaboration reported enhanced understanding of kidney disease management in global contexts. Planned next steps include community outreach, collaborative clinical and epidemiological research, and the development of the first nephrology fellowship program in Western Kenya. Conclusion: This collaboration demonstrates a sustainable model for international nephrology education partnerships, with measurable benefits for both institutions. The approach may serve as a blueprint for other programs seeking to build global capacity in nephrology care and training.
Keywords: Nephrology education, global health, medical training, international collaboration, sub-Saharan Africa
Received: 20 Jun 2025; Accepted: 15 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Owino, Mutugi, Shah, Gaffney, Koech and TANG. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: JIE TANG, jie.tang@brownphysicians.org
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