Enhancing Neurology Education Together

A strong medical education is key to gaining the foundational knowledge and skills that make for better clinicians. Through the AMPATH Ghana partnership, faculty from Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) and NYU Grossman School of Medicine (NYUGSOM) are collaborating to strengthen medical education in the area of neurology. Dr. Jaydeep Bhatt, a neurologist at NYUGSOM and director of the Division of Global Health in the Department of Neurology, has teamed up with Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa and Dr. Patience Sakeah, internal medicine specialists at TTH overseeing the Department of Neurology, to provide ongoing neurology education to medical students and house officers in TTH.

 After undertaking an analysis of the state of neurology care at TTH and the northern region, the team provided neurology consulting services as well as teaching sessions to house officers/medical officers and medical students at University for Development Studies (UDS) and TTH. In addition to providing online Zoom lectures on high yield neurology topics, Dr. Bhatt and his team of chief residents provided in-person training sessions on the neurological exam in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Dr. Sakeah noticed that “the interest in Neurology among young clinicians has really increased since the AMPATH Ghana collaboration between NYUGSOM, TTH, and UDS”.

 The team collaborated to provide  bedside teaching for admitted adult and pediatric patients and reviewing their neuroradiology images with clinical correlation. ”It was inspiring to see what is possible when motivated house officers with a fund of knowledge receive fundamental clinical education which they can apply toward patient care,” said Dr. Bhatt. “Within a few weeks, we were able to see differences in neurological exam technique and clinical formulations.”

 As part of their ongoing work together, the management of stroke and seizure was identified as a major educational need for trainees and staff.  The team is currently working to establish a stroke unit to better care for the large number of stroke patients TTH receives.

 Discussions and on-the-ground experiences also led the team to be selected to lead a TEACH pilot project, aimed at  designing, implementing, and evaluating a case-based curriculum for successful management of neurological patients at TTH.

 “This affirms that clinicians at TTH can enhance their diagnostic capabilities with a neurology clinical curriculum”, says Dr. Bhatt. “We look forward to build on this foundation.”