Updates, Updates.

Wow, what a busy few months it has been.

Since I returned to Rwanda on Jan 3, I have been traveling or hosting various medical trainees or doctors from the USA, including:

- My friend, Kevin Hachey, a 4th year medical student from Ohio State, who I have worked with in Honduras with an OSU medical student-run group called PODEMOS. He spent a month with me in Butare, rounding for 2 weeks in Pediatrics, and 2 weeks in Internal Medicine. He finds out where he matches for Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency in 4 days, so, please, wish him luck!
- Dr. Una Mulale, a Pediatric Intensive Care MD from Boston Children's Hospital. She is originally from Botswana, but has spent a significant portion of her time in the US for training. She was an amazing springboard for innovation to change the educational curriculum at CHUB, the hospital where I work.
- Dr. Will Rosenblatt, an Internal Medicine Resident from Dartmouth. He spent 2 weeks at my house, working in Internal Medicine. He is originally from Mississippi, but you would never know it. It was cool to reminisce about the Deep South!
- Dr. Andrew Wilkins, a Pediatric Rheumatologist (aka auto-immune/arthritis) from New Hampshire. He spent 25+ years at the Baylor College of Medicine and is an expert in medical education. He provided some amazing ideas on how to improve our teaching.
- Dr. Archana Patel, a Pediatric Neurologist from Harvard/Boston's Children's Hospital, who has had significant global health experience. She and I worked on some innovative, low impact, high yield improvements for our patients with cerebral malaria, and we have a few potential collaborations planned. Did I mention that she has been working with the WHO on its Zika Virus Guidelines?

So, it has been a rather busy time here. I seem to be getting into the groove here, and I have some great ideas on improving education, and for research. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I have some cool ideas. The only issue is time, which is partly why I hardly every post anymore to this blog.

I have also seemed to be in Kigali a lot the past few months for meetings, other work, and some fun things. It really makes me appreciate my slow weekends here in Butare, when I can.

What the future brings?

- Another week of fun with Dr. Andrew and Dr. Una this coming week.
- Departmental meeting on Friday in Kigali, followed by a weekend in Kigali to spend time with a good friend of mine and his family, who will be leaving shortly to return to the USA.
- Then Easter weekend, most likely at Gisenyi Beach (Northern Lake Kivu)
- Then yet another visiting physician (a Pediatric Endocrinologist) for a week
- Then somber time in Rwanda (Genocide Memorial starts 7 April, and goes for about a month)
- Then my birthday 13 April, to be spent in Kenya with some good friends of mine from Mali. Believe it or not folks, I turn 40. Gulp...

Anyway, hope all is well on your side of the woods. Looks like Spring has sprung in some parts of Ohio? The Green Thumb/Farmer's Almanac guy in me predicts a warm Spring, and a HOT Summer for my Northern Coast friends, the usual for the Left Coasters, and a HOT summer for the Gulf Coast!

A bientót,

Love life, Enjoy liberty, Be happy,

Craig

P.S. I just downloaded Picasa, so expect some pictures or a link to pictures soon (as soon as I figure out how the hell to use it!)