Summer 2006
Ortho Indy and Advanced OrthoPro, Inc.
Team Up to Make a Difference
Lynda Koech, one of the visiting
Kenyan medical students, was struck
with polio at the age of three. Since
that time, her entire right leg has been
paralyzed and she has required a brace
to walk.
in great shape and so am I. I am getting used to using them, walking faster
every day!”
A big ASANTE SANA (“thank you”)
goes out to Dr. Mike Coscia, Mr.
Mohamad Mansoori, M.S., C.P.O.,
OrthoIndy and Advanced OrthoPro,
Inc. for donating time, effort and the
brace to make a difference in Lynda’s
life.
Lynda with Mr. Mansoori.
Lynda with Dr. Coscia.
Lynda has used numerous leg braces
since the age of nine, always acquiring
the best that Kenya could offer. Still
the metal braces weighed 10-15 pounds
and were attached to the one pair of
shoes she could wear.
When Lynda’s mother watched her
head to the plane in Nairobi for her
journey to the United States she said
only one thing to her: “If you come
back with no presents or souvenirs, but
you have a new leg brace, I will be the
happiest mother alive.”
Thankfully, due to the kind efforts of
Dr. Mike Coscia of OrthoIndy and Mr.
Mohamad Mansoori of Advanced
OrthoPro, Inc, the wish of Lynda’s
mother has come true. Dr. Coscia (pictured left) and Mr. Mansoori (pictured
above) donated their time and expertise to assure that Lynda would leave
the United States with a brand new
state-of-the-art plastic brace.
While it took some time for Lynda to
get used to this lighter and more supportive brace, she is now back in Kenya
and doing well.With the help of shoe
lifts, Lynda now has the option to wear
different shoes each day of the week.
She writes from Kenya, “My braces are
New brace (left) vs. old brace.
The mission of Indiana University's partnership with Moi University is to develop
leaders in health for the United States
and Africa, to foster the values of the
medical profession and to promote
health for the human family.
The partnership was formally established in 1989 as a collaboration
between Moi University School of
Medicine, Eldoret, Kenya and Indiana
University School of Medicine,
Indianapolis, USA. The purpose of the
collaboration at its inception was to
establish a mutually beneficial relationship with a focus on primary care medicine and pediatrics.
As the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS pandemic grew over the last two decades,
it became apparent that the partnership
would have to respond to this health
care issue. In 2000, responding to the
HIV/AIDS problem became one of the
primary activities of Indiana University
School of Medicine in Kenya.
IU-Kenya Partnership Staff
Bob Einterz, Associate Dean & Director
Joe Mamlin, Field Director
Bill Tierney, Director of Research
Ron Pettigrew, Program Manager
Becca Atkins, Assistant Program Manager
Ann Morris, Assistant Business Manager
Kathy Champ, Administrative Assistant
Shawn Woodin, Program Administrator
Adrian Gardner, Medical Liaison
John Sidle, Associate Field Director,
Research
Kara Wools-Kaloustian, Associate Field
Director, Research
Tomeka Petersen, Associate Field
Director, HHI
Peter Park, Associate Field Director, FPI
Hakuna Matata Gazeti Staff
Ron Pettigrew, Editor
[email protected]
Becca Atkins, Managing Editor & Writer
[email protected]
The Hakuna Matata Gazeti is published by
The IU-Kenya Partnership
1001 W. 10th St., M200
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317.630.6770
Fax: 317.630.7066
www.iukenya.org
A New Lease on Life
June will be an exciting month in Kenya, particularly for two Kenyans who will
be receiving the first-ever kidney transplants in Kenya. Five physicians from the
IU School of Medicine, Drs. Stephen Leapman, Mark Pescovitz, David Matthews,
Clark Simons and Dennis Wagner, will be donating their talents and expertise in
early June to perform the transplants.
Initially, only one transplant candidate was identified, a nurse at the Moi
Teaching and Referral Hospital. But on a recent trip to Eldoret, Drs. Mark and
Ora Pescovitz met a young girl also in need of a new kidney. Members of the
transplant team have always felt very confident in the ability to successfully perform the surgery, but post-operative care has always been their biggest concern.
Dr. Leapman stated that the greatest post-operative problem centers on a lifetime
supply of immunosuppressive drug therapy. He said that the cost of life-giving
dialysis averages $75,000 to $80,000 per year. The costs of transplant surgery and
the first year of drugs run about the same as annual dialysis; however that cost
drops to an average of $10,000 to $12,000 annually.
Moi University has agreed to provide initial support and a lifetime supply of
immunosuppressive drugs for their nurse employee, and the extended family of
the young girl also scheduled to be transplanted has agreed to cover the costs of
her post-operative care and required immunosuppressive therapy.
Slemenda Scholars 2006
Since 1998, a total of 33
IUSM sophomore medical
students have been chosen to
spend two months (during
their only free summer of
medical school in Indiana) at
Moi University School of
Medicine in Eldoret as
Slemenda Scholars. The students attend class, participate
on rounds in the hospital
and live with their Kenyan
Hannah Woebkenberg, Tim Mercer, Cassie
counterparts in the student
Neureiter and Sarah Carlson.
hostel. They also spend a
great amount of time living in a rural village participating in one of Moi
University School of Medicine’s primary educational components called
Community Based Education and Service (COBES). The two-month experience
is completely funded through the IU-Kenya partnership. Named to honor the
memory of Dr. Charles Slemenda, a former IU epidemiologist and staunch supporter of international medicine, the scholarship provides a small stipend to help
further the medical education of these students who will return with medical and
cultural perspectives to last a lifetime.
This year’s Slemenda Scholars are Sarah Carlson, Indianapolis, IN; Cassie
Neureiter, Lizton, IN; Tim Mercer, Auburn, IN, and Hannah Woebkenberg,
Jasper, IN
Even Kids can Make a Difference
Did you ever wonder what
kind of an impact you
could make on the lives of
people in Kenya?
After learning about the
IU-Kenya partnership and
the “Dollar-A-Day” campaign, a couple of teens
wanted to turn their annual backyard carnival into a
fund-raiser for the IUKenya partnership.
Armed with a smile, driven by a desire to help an unseen global neighbor, and
full of good intentions, these teens and a few of their friends visited area stores
seeking donations of items to be used as prizes for their seven-year-old backyard
carnival, now designated to raise significant funds for the IU-Kenya partnership.
Area families and local businesses helped underwrite their efforts by providing
discounts on games, prizes and food. Homemade games like a fish pond, soccer
obstacle course, soccer kicking accuracy contests, miniature golf, “Plinko,” a bean
bag toss, football passing accuracy and a jumping “moon-walk” were a few of the
“diversions” that provided an afternoon of entertainment for the young and
“older” alike. Hot dogs, chips and drinks (all for a small fee) provided nourishment while children kept returning to their parents wanting more tickets for
jumping in the “moon walk” or playing and competing for the donated and purchased prizes.
Face painting and “an instant make-over” were big hits among the younger
crowd, while a raffle and silent auction brought in “bigger bucks” from the
accompanying adults. The neighbors indulged a local youth group band that provided additional entertainment, making the afternoon a truly fun-filled family
activity. Pictures of Kenya’s wildlife and the charismatic people of Kenya were
scattered around the carnival area helping to put a face to those who would benefit from the good times being held that afternoon in Indiana.
With a goal of $1800, last summer’s carnival raised $2500 for the IU-Kenya partnership. The event was conceived, organized and operated by the teens themselves.
This year’s carnival is scheduled for July 1. For more information or if you would
like to donate, contact the IU-Kenya partnership.
Bill and Gail Plater donated this bicycle to Leah Koech
(at right), a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) in Mosoriot,
Kenya to use in reaching women in small villages. Leah
formerly walked or borrowed her husband’s bicycle to
cover the area she serves, a four kilometer radius from
her home in Ngechek location. The new bike will allow
her to see more women each day, and to travel the twenty kilometers to the Mosoriot Health Centre to attend
meetings with other TBAs.
Additions to Our Team
Adrian Gardner, MD, will begin
working with the IU-Kenya
Partnership in July of 2006 as the
onsite medical liaison and team
leader. Adrian’s many roles will
include educational activities, clinical duties and research work. He
will teach Moi University School of
Medicine students and mentor
American students and residents.
Adrian and Joe Mamlin will rotate
months as attending physician on
the Nyayo Wards of the Moi
Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Ann Morris has been working with
the IU-Kenya team for one year as
the assistant business manager.
Responsible for the preparation of
grant budgets and monitoring
expenses on grant accounts, she
keeps busy. Ann has a B.A. in Art
Education and an M.A. in
Counseling. In her capacity Ann
has traveled twice to IU-Kenya’s
home base in Eldoret, Kenya,
which enabled her to experience
our program firsthand. We welcome Ann to our team.
Karin Lane began working for the
program in February of 2006 as a
consultant for the Mother-to-childtransmission (pMTCT) program
within AMPATH. She has a
Masters in Health Policy from
Pepperdine University and extensive experience with pMTCT in
South Africa.
Jason Woodward, MD, will also
begin working with the program in
July of 2006. He is a junior faculty
member at Indiana University’s
Departments of Medicine and
Pediatrics. Jason will be in Kenya
working with the IU-Kenya
Partnership for one year, sponsored
by IU’s Department of Pediatrics.
The IU-Kenya Partnership
1001 W. 10th St., M200
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Kenyan Medical Students Visit IUSM
On March 14th, four Kenyan medical students arrived in
Indianapolis for a six-week immersion into the Wishard wards.
Currently in their fifth year of medical study at Moi University
School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya, they are: Lynda Koech,
Agnes Ochako, Monicah Bitok and Brian Simba.
In addition to spending time on the Wishard wards as third-year
medical students, they were able to travel to Chicago with Dr.
David Matthews and his family and attend an opera and spend
Easter with Dr. Tal Bosin and his family in Bloomington. The
students were hosted for a day by a medical specialty of their
choice. Thanks to the departments of anesthesia, radiology,
emergency medicine and surgery for allowing the students an
opportunity to learn about how these specialties work in the
United States.
Thanks to all students, residents and faculty who took time to
Brian Simba, Agnes Ochako, Lynda Koech and Monicah get to know them and influence their experience here in the US.
Bitok.
A special thanks to Dr. Jill Helphinstine, Dr. Fredrick Asirwa,
Dr. Moshin Alhaddad and the Liechtys, Gramelspachers and Braters for their support, encouragement and hospitality.