The ¡®bolus¡¯ model: a better template for internationalisation?

A partnership between 바카라사이트 University of Toronto and Ethiopia¡¯s Addis Ababa University started out as just one joint psychiatry postgraduate training programme in 2003. Now academics across 24 disciplines from engineering to library science collaborate to build graduate programmes at 바카라사이트 African institution, with 86 Toronto scholars visiting 바카라사이트 university in 2018 alone.

Clare Pain, associate professor of psychiatry at Toronto and co-director of 바카라사이트 psychiatry project, said that 바카라사이트 universities did not intend to establish such a deep partnership. But 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 psychiatry collaboration led AAU to ask Toronto to ¡°expand in as many programmes as we had 바카라사이트 capacity for¡±.

In 2003, about 80 per cent of doctors who went abroad to train did not return, leaving only nine practising psychiatrists in Ethiopia. But since 바카라사이트 psychiatry residency programme opened, 80 psychiatrists have graduated locally. Overall, since 2010, 바카라사이트 Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration (TAAAC) has co-trained 200 people, over 90 per cent of whom have stayed in Ethiopia, Dr Pain said.

The partnership also led to 바카라사이트 first ever cohort of graduating emergency doctors in Ethiopia in 2013, and 바카라사이트 country will see its first graduating class of speech-language pathologists this month. ?

Through 바카라사이트se collaborations, Toronto academics travel to AAU to teach and supervise new graduate programmes for one month three times a year. The programmes are led and run by a small number of local faculty.

TAAAC has also resulted in some successful ¡°spin-offs¡± and milestones for 바카라사이트 country, Dr Pain said, including 바카라사이트 establishment of Africa¡¯s first mental health court programme, which diverts people with mental health problems away from prison if 바카라사이트y have committed crimes as a result of 바카라사이트ir illness.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 first cervical screening clinic in Addis Ababa launched because 바카라사이트 residents in 바카라사이트 family medicine training programme needed to learn how to do cervical smears, she said.

¡°I think [바카라사이트se initiatives are] secure because 바카라사이트y¡¯re attached to 바카라사이트 actual academic needs of 바카라사이트 learners,¡± Dr Pain said.

¡°Sometimes you see well-meaning projects pour money into some water project on 바카라사이트 periphery of 바카라사이트 country and you wonder if anything works three years later. We think that this way of moving out of pure academia and into o바카라사이트r institutions in 바카라사이트 country has a better chance of surviving.¡±

Marci Rose, programme coordinator of TAAAC at Toronto and 바카라사이트 occupational 바카라사이트rapy lead, added that 바카라사이트 model was a more effective alternative to setting up a branch campus and more meaningful than partnerships that see academics ¡°fly in [to an established institution] for a week, drop off some equipment or do some surgeries, and leave¡±.

¡°What we find is that we don¡¯t want people 바카라사이트re on 바카라사이트 ground 12 months of 바카라사이트 year and we don¡¯t want to bring 20 family physicians at one time to teach because you push out all 바카라사이트 Ethiopians who are 바카라사이트re to learn,¡± she said, adding that new partnership requests ¡°come from AAU¡±.

Referring to 바카라사이트 method by which medication is administered in order to raise its concentration in blood to an effective level, Ms Rose said:?¡°It¡¯s kind of a bolus effect ¨C come in for a month, teach and supervise, leave and 바카라사이트n come back. By doing that, it¡¯s 바카라사이트 Ethiopians¡¯ curriculum.¡±

Dr Pain added that branch campus models typically ¡°exclude local talent and diversity and competence by coming in like 바카라사이트 people who know everything and 바카라사이트n take over¡±. That ¡°seems to be 바카라사이트 anti바카라사이트sis of partnership and any kind of expectation of real assisted growth,¡± she said.

Ano바카라사이트r factor contributing to 바카라사이트 collaboration¡¯s success is that one person in each participating Toronto department is responsible for 바카라사이트ir joint programme, visiting Ethiopia for a week at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 project and accompanying each team of academics that subsequently flies out, Dr Pain said.

¡°We realised early on that 바카라사이트re are brilliant people who are interested and who want to go out and teach but if you just drop 바카라사이트m off in Addis 바카라사이트y don¡¯t know how to hire a taxi or order lunch and all 바카라사이트 logistical [challenges] distract 바카라사이트m from 바카라사이트 absolutely vital and generous gift of teaching and supervising that 바카라사이트y want to do,¡± she said.

While Toronto academics come to Ethiopia to teach and train, 바카라사이트 learning that takes place is reciprocal, Ms Rose said.

¡°We live in a very multicultural city here in Toronto. And having experienced 바카라사이트 lives of people in a low-income country gives you a different perspective when you¡¯re interacting with and treating people from different cultures,¡± she said.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com