14 April 2017  

It’s been a fantastic week! For this trip, our time in Kampala was the most “up in the air” of the plans I had made but once again, there was plenty of work to get involved with. It was such perfect timing for us to be able to work with the new Clincial Pharmacists at Nakereso Hospital as they embark on the development of Pharmaceutical Care services. All 4 of The Ugandan Pharmacists were a joy to teach and mentor and they are very capable of carrying on this project. As we reminded them everyday, we urge them to continue to be reliable team members and to show up every day to work on their units. The way they will gain the rapport and respect of the nurses, physicians, and other healthcare worker is to be dedicated to the patients and the healthcare team. We got to know Peterson and Aziiz best and I compliment them on their quick learning and dedication to this project. As we head to Masindi on Sunday, we leave them under the capable leadership of Winnie. 

This afternoon over a delicious Mexican lunch at Que Pasa, we met with Daniel, the Regional Director of OneWorld Health, the group that developed and supports Masindi-Kitara Medical Center, our next stop. It was great to get to know him as he is relatively new in this position. We had an opportunity to talk about their new initiatives and brainstorm about ways we can help this week at the clinic. 

In the late afternoon, my friend, Patrick, who is one of the Ugandan pharmacists who came to study with me in the USA stopped by the Mulago Guest House for a brief visit. Our time in Kampala was limited to just this one week and we’ve been keeping so busy I hadn’t had time to talk with him. I’m so glad he swung by. And I got the treat of meeting one of his sons and we had fun taking selfies. 

This evening I went to meet another friend, Dr Mohammed Lamorde, Head of Prevention, Care, and Treatment Programs for the Infectious Diseases Institute, to talk about the possible phenytoin research project that Winnie and I want to do. His specialty is Pharmacokinetics. We had a great planning session for this project but he also offered me a chance to help develop a training program to teach Ugandan Physicians and Pharmacists about Antimicrobial Stewardship – a topic very dear to my heart. Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance is growing and if we don’t become stewards of the use of our precious antibiotics, we will soon be at risk for going back to the dark ages before antibiotics were available to treat common infections. Many of the bacteria are now able to resist the killing action of our normal antibiotics. Uganda is not immune to this problem and in fact may be in a worse situation than the Western world, as are many developing countries, due to the easy access to antibiotics without prescriptions at community pharmacies. Addressing outpatient antibiotic use at the community pharmacies level eventually needs to be tackled but the first steps involve training medical practitioners in the government clinics and hospitals. I am so thrilled to be asked to be part of this project!!

Now I am on my way to the airport to pick up Dana Manning, Associate Professor at Wilkes University and one of old colleagues. She’s been wanting to join my Uganda project for years but it is only now that her children are older and she is able to try it out. Let me introduce her to you now. 

Dr. Dana Manning

 My name is Dana Manning, and I am an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Wilkes. This is my first trip to Uganda and I am very excited to be part of this experience for many different reasons. I grew up in Rochester NY, and have lived in Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA) for almost 20 years now. I came to NEPA to be with my husband Brian, who runs a hundred year old vertically-integrated dairy farm that makes the most amazing ice cream and fresh milk. I have three great children – Julia (13), Charlotte (8), and Eddie (5). We have our own farm as well, where we have horses, beef cattle, alpacas, chickens, turkeys, 4 cats, a dog, and a bunny. In addition to my pharmacy career, I am also a registered dietitian and I love all aspects of food – from the production to the politics of it.  

      I have traveled to Europe and Australia in the past, but it has been a long time since I have travelled out of the country. I have spent the last 15 years of my life building my family and my career, and I am now in a part of my career where I an doing a lot of thinking about how I want to grow and contribute to the broader world. I am a person who believes that everyone could use a little more “vitamin P” – perspective, and “vitamin H” – humility. I am grateful for the opportunity to travel to Uganda and be part of an experience with pharmacy students that opens our eyes to challenges and opportunities in the healthcare world as well as in the broader world. I am also very grateful to my amazing husband and to my parents, who are going to keep my busy family and farm running while I am gone!