Kolabo 2022: Another successful year of virtual collaboration

Throughout the COVID19 pandemic, the University of Calgary and the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS) have worked together to continue providing necessary psychiatry training to medical students in Mwanza, Tanzania. Prior to the pandemic, the University of Calgary would send a ground team of psychiatrists and psychiatry resident doctors to help provide didactic lectures and small group learning related to mental health topics such as Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, suicide, and addictions. However, due to travel restrictions, strategic collaboration was required to continue the Kolabo project. CUHAS educators, including Dr. Mwita, rose to the challenge of providing this vital training to their medical students, with virtual support from afar. The psychiatry curriculum was effectively delivered in 2021 via pre-recorded vodcasts by the University of Calgary psychiatry residents and in-person lectures by Dr. Mwita, Dr. Hauli, and Dr. Simbee in 2021.

This year, the teams once again effectively worked together to continue using the vodcasts created in 2021 and simultaneously the capacity at CUHAS has continued to expand. We were able to create additional small group learning modules related to Somatic Disorders, Trauma-Related Disorders and treatments related to psychotherapy and psychiatric medications!

The photos included in this article, are of MD5, or fifth year medical students, assisting in teaching their junior counterparts, MD3 or third year medical students, at CUHAS about various mental health topics this semester. Due to the growing but still small number of trained psychiatrists in Mwanza, this model was developed to assist with providing a fulsome and sustainable education for medical students. This methodology is novel in medical training within Tanzania but has been highly effective and as a result is being explored by other departments.

Small group learning in Mwanza can occur inside the classroom or in outdoor venues as pictured. As mentioned, the topics discussed in small group learning typically focus on various major mental illnesses, and the associated epidemiology, diagnosis, course of illness, and most importantly evidence based means of treatment.

[Left to right clockwise] Dr. Rita Watterson, Dr. Paige Durling, Dr. Hilary Aadland, Dr. Alynna Lirette, Dr. Matiko Mwita, & Dr. Elisabeth Merner having dinner together in Calgary.

Currently, Dr. Mwita has come to Calgary for work related to his PhD in maternal mental health and non-pharmacological treatment options for anxiety and depression. While in Calgary, he has had an opportunity to spend time with the local Kolabo team members and will have several meetings with the University and our team to discuss future directions for Kolabo in Mwanza, including potential opportunities with developing a psychiatry residency training program at CUHAS.

Special thank you to all of the University of Calgary Kolabo 2022 Team: Dr. Rita Watterson, Dr. Kimberly Williams, Dr. Phil Stokes, Dr. Margie Oakander, Dr. Paige Durling, Dr. Megan Howlett, Dr. Hilary Aadland, Dr. Elisabeth Merner, Dr. Jaylynn Arcand, Dr. Amy Fowler, Dr. Alynna Lirette, Dr. Deborah Adesugen, and Dr. Raveen Virk. Special thank you to all of the CUHAS Kolabo Team: Dr. Matiko Mwita, Dr. Catherine Magwiza, Dr. Kiyeti Agnes Hauli, and Dr. Gemma Simbee.

If you are interested in learning more or donating, please check out our social media or kolabo.org!