Revitalizing Graduate Medical Education in Global Settings: Lessons From Post-Earthquake Haiti.

Following the massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated much of the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, the Haitian health system and its medical education programs were fragmented, fragile, and facing a significant, overwhelming demand for clinical care. In response, the authors of this paper and the institutions they represent supported the development of a teaching hospital that could fill the void in academic training capacity while prioritizing the health of Haiti's rural poor-goals aligned with the Haitian Ministry of Health (MOH) strategy. This bold initiative aimed to address both the immediate and long-term health care needs within post-disaster Haiti through a strategic investment in graduate medical education (GME). Here, the authors describe their approach, which included building consensus, aspiring to international standards, and investing in shared governance structures under Haitian leadership. The Haitian MOH strategy and priorities guided the development, implementation, and expansion of solutions to the ongoing crisis in human resources for health within the acute context. Local leadership of this initiative ensured a sustained and transformative model of GME that has carried Haiti beyond acute relief and toward a more reliable health system. The enduring success can be measured through sustained governance systems, graduates who have remained in Haiti, standardized curricula, a culture of continuous improvement, and the historic achievement of international accreditation. While ongoing challenges persist, Haiti has demonstrated that the strategy of investing in GME in response to acute disasters should be considered in other global settings to support the revitalization of tenuous health systems.

A 19-Year Record of Training Haitian Residents in Otorhinolaryngology and Cervicofacial Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Since 1996, 1 to 4 annual training missions have been carried out to train Haitian otorhinolaryngology (ENT) and cervicofacial surgery residents by the association Liens Otorhinolaryngology Ayti (LOA). Until 1996, ENT was practiced and taught by ophthalmologists. The aim of this article is to describe the contributions and limitations of LOA in training of Haitian resident physicians and the creation of the ENT specialty in Haiti. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of clinical consultation and surgical interventions records and didactics carried out during missions from 1996 through 2014. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 37 missions were made during the 19-year period in which 29 senior ENT specialists participated, with an average of 3.37 missions per physician. RESULTS: A total of 10,300 consultations and 173 surgical procedures were made jointly by a senior LOA physician and a Haitian resident physician. Totally 16 Haitian ENT residents were trained, 81% of whom are still practicing in Haiti. ENT became a surgical specialty in 2001 after the nomination of a Haitian ENT specialist as Assistant Director of the ENT-Ophthalmology service. The latter benefitted from dual training by LOA in Haiti and abroad. CONCLUSION: The Haitian population experiences significant difficulties with access to medical care owing to very low number of resident medical personnel. LOA's work has contributed over 19 years to the training of ENT physicians now practicing in Haiti and to the creation of a local ENT specialty.