INTERNATIONALIZATION. The University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska Academy were recently visited by the Rwandan ambassador to the Nordic countries, Diane Gashumba. Among other things, she expressed a desire for increased exchange, with teachers from Sahlgrenska Academy teaching at the University of Rwanda.
Since 2007, Sahlgrenska Academy has been part of a Sida-funded development program in Rwanda. The program supports development of the society, which was torn apart after the extensive genocide in the country in 1994. Sahlgrenska Academy is currently responsible for two of the 17 sub-programs within the program: Infectious Diseases and Undernutrition. It also trains researchers from Rwanda within these areas.
In addition, three more research programs are led by other faculties at the University of Gothenburg: within the areas peace and conflict research, management and finance, and social work.
A total of 15 Swedish educational institutions are involved in the development project, including Chalmers University of Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University. PhD-graduates of the program have gone on to play important roles in the development of society and universities in the country.
Former Minister of Health
Ambassador Diane Gashumba has a background as a senior physician specializing in pediatrics and was previously Minister of Health in Rwanda. During her visit to the university, she met with former President Pam Fredman, as well as representatives of the current university management. She visited a laboratory in the pharmacology department, where several PhD students from Rwanda have been educated.
“The discussions were fruitful. The ambassador has a very clear picture of what cooperation between Rwanda and Sweden can look like, and that it should be rewarding for both parties,” says Ida Mattiasson, international coordinator at Sahlgrenska Academy, who participated in the visit.
In the coming years, Rwanda has very high ambitions for the development of Health and Life Sciences:
“The Ambassador mentioned their ambitious ‘4 by 4’ program, which aims to increase the number of specialists in specific medical fields fourfold over the next few years. Here, they are looking for partnerships with universities educating within healthcare,” says Ida Mattiasson.
Stigma around diseases
The Ambassador’s delegation also met with Jenny Nyström, Head of the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology and upcoming Dean of Sahlgrenska Academy. This meeting also produced interesting discussions, says Ida Mattiasson:
“The conversation focused on the research at the institution and the areas in which Rwanda may be interested in cooperation. When it comes to psychiatric diseases, there is a stigma in Rwanda that needs to be overcome, and this can be done with technical aids such as AI for diagnosis.” Teacher exchanges were also discussed, as the Ambassador would like to see teachers travelling to Rwanda to teach students.
BY: ELIN LINDSTRÖM
