Abigail Sorensen, MD: University of California at San Francisco, Pediatric Critical Care PGY-5

Uganda: May 2025

 I recently had the privilege, sponsored by the BHJ Fund, to spend one month at Mulago National Hospital in Kampala, Uganda working in the country’s first public pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). At the request of the physicians who created this unit, I helped perform a learning needs assessment, educate pediatric residents, and provide patient care. This scholarship enabled me to pass along my knowledge as a critical care provider-in-training to the staff working at Mulago; this was well-received, as there are not any PICU-trained physicians in the hospital.

  It was extremely fulfilling to see the eagerness with which the nurses, residents, and attendings wanted to learn. We were productive during my month at Mulago, identifying core concepts the residents want to learn, which we will turn into a curriculum for the rotation. This will not only help the residents working in the PICU to feel more confident and competent in their critical care skills, but it will also help improve patient outcomes, given the providers will have a broader fund of knowledge as they provide direct patient care. Overall, this experience taught me the importance of collaboration as well as teamwork, as I worked with the team in place to determine how they could improve their educational structure, unit operations, and, as a result, patient care.