Sudan Medical Specialty Board (SMSB) Partnership
The Sudan Medical Specialization Board (SMSB) is the main institution for providing medical training and research in Sudan. In April 2021, the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry signed a second five-year term memorandum of understanding and action plan with the SMSB that will focus on enhancing education and training in surgery and all affiliated departments and divisions of health care in the Sudan and North-East Africa. The OGS has been tasked with facilitating these activities. To provide a sustainable and safe method of training and continual mentorship, the OGS and SMSB have incorporated in-person training and remote methods for communication and interaction for mentorship. This remote method of communication will also include use of AR and smart glasses and will be supported by a partnership with Academics Without Borders.
Academics Without Borders (AWB) is a Canadian non-profit organization that strives to help low and middle-income countries improve their universities so they can train their own experts and conduct research to assist in their countries' development. AWB's projects cover a range of university activities from expanding and improving existing institutions and programs to helping create new ones. AWB fulfills its mission through volunteers who collaborate on projects that originate in and are owned by developing world institutions.
University of Alberta faculty members, Dr. Abdullah Saleh, Dr. Regan Guilfoyle, and Dr. Joshua Wong are collaborating as Academics Without Borders Volunteers on a project to develop surgical capacity using remote telecommunication augmented reality technology with the Sudan Medical Specialization Board (SMSB), the main post-graduate training center for surgical specialization in Sudan. The project involves incorporating in-person training and remote communication methods, including the use of AR and smart glasses, to improve surgical procedures and enhance capacity building.
In January 2023, the project will began with comprehensive needs assessments for the SMSB divisions of pediatric and plastic surgery using this remote communication technology. The training programs will follow the recommendations to address the gaps identified from the needs assessments. The UofA mentors will act as volunteers on behalf of AWB.
Thank you to our supporting NGOs and vendor company partners:
