My name is Jonathan Kajjimu, a junior medical doctor trained at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda. I am passionate about emergency medicine (EM), with a special interest in global EM, quality of care, patient safety, and the well-being of EM trainers and trainees.
On April 28, 2022, the chilly early morning air hit me as I stepped out of my warm bed and into the frosty world outside. I found myself picking up my phone and scrolling through a stream of tweets from Twitter accounts I follow when I unknowingly stumbled upon a retweet by one of my former emergency medicine mentors. It was a call for applications for the Global Health Research Collaborative (GHRC) virtual summer workshop of 2022, but the application deadline was fast approaching In fact, only two days away. I immediately reached out to my primary research mentor, who was more than happy to recommend me for the workshop. About one month after I had submitted my application, I was invited for an interview by the GHRC team.
During my interview with the GHRC team, we discussed navigating the workshop schedule given the time difference between the United States and Uganda. I expressed my enthusiasm and confidence in participating in all sessions across time zones. Ultimately, engaging in the program reinforced my commitment to GHRC’s mission and allowed me to enhance my time management while balancing my clinical studies.
The GHRC workshop began about one week earlier than the start of my last semester of medical school, during which I embarked on an obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) rotation that required trans night calls from 5 pm until 6 am the following day. This arrangement necessitated me to convince my OBGYN attendings, residents, and colleagues to permit me to attend GHRC events before fulfilling my trans night calls on scheduled days. One resident questioned my decision to juggle multiple commitments, stating, "Do you think you're too bright? If I were you, I would just focus on my rotation. I applied for that workshop too, but I didn't get selected. Where do you even find the funds to attend?" My response was, "I am simply strategic, which has enabled my progress."
Despite some scheduling challenges for my concurrent rotation, I remained committed to attending the GHRC workshop. I emphasized to my attendings and mentors how relevant the workshop was to my career goals and expressed my willingness to extend my hours to make up for the time missed during call shifts. After gaining approval from all stakeholders, I fully committed to the workshop, which proved to be a deeply enriching experience. The sessions were comprehensive and detailed, and I especially appreciated the strong emphasis on networking and the many opportunities provided. The experience broadened my perspective significantly, and I believe it could offer the same value to others.
During my time at GHRC, I led a capstone project titled, "Burnout and associated factors among medical and nursing emergency department staff and trainees in Uganda." Following our participation in the 2022 GHRC Summer workshop, I utilized my capstone project to apply for a Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) Low Income 2022 research grant of 4,173 Great Britain Pounds, which I successfully secured towards the end of 2022 to fund my project. Winning this grant marked my first personal success in grant applications, and I never anticipated achieving such success from a project I developed during our GHRC virtual summer workshop.
One aspect I greatly appreciated about GHRC was the diverse and supportive multidisciplinary faculty. Additionally, they provided free access to research tools that are typically costly and difficult to obtain in low-resource settings. The workshop also offered significant financial support for students to attend, ensured standardized formal communication throughout the duration, provided a valuable learning portal on Thinkific with lifelong access, and boasted a supportive faculty.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Arun Kumar for providing me with the opportunity to attend the second GHRC workshop, making me the first undergraduate and Ugandan to do so. I vividly remember the words of encouragement Dr. Kumar shared during my interview before I was accepted into the program. He commended me for having a 'heavy CV', a feat that even some graduate students did not possess. Dr. Kumar also encouraged me to continue building my CV, as it was a major factor in my acceptance into the program.
I would also like to extend a big shout-out to my assigned mentor during the workshop, Dr. Daniel Ridelman. I am extremely grateful for his support in my career development, from the GHRC workshop to recommending me for my first travel grant from EM:RAP GO. This grant enabled me to attend the 6th African Conference on Emergency Medicine in Accra, Ghana, in November 2022.
Since completing the GHRC workshop, I have held GHRC close to my heart, and I am eager to continue working alongside the organization to help it achieve its mission and objectives. Long live GHRC!