Training Pediatricians in Liberia

As a partner in the Government of Liberia’s Health Workforce Program (HWP), the MCRGHP, led by Dr. Michelle Niescierenko, MD, MPH, has been a key collaborator in developing and implementing a pediatric residency training program, producing the only 32 Liberian-trained pediatricians to date (with additional residents currently in training!). Since the end of the HWP, which ran from 2017-2019, the focus has shifted to ensuring the locally-run sustainability of the pediatric residency program, expanding high-quality pediatric care to additional facilities and communities, supporting newborn care and nutrition programs.

As a result, the MCRGHP continues to support newly trained physicians in conducting research necessary for their transition to Residency Program faculty roles – working towards the ultimate goal of a fully Liberian-run residency program; some of faculty members’ recent research has focused on addressing some of the most critical health issues faced by their patients, such as birth asphyxia treatment, local treatment of malnutrition and anemia.

In addition to training pediatricians, the partnership is committed to enhancing the skills of nurses and midwives in newborn resuscitation and neonatal care at JFK Medical Center. Several of the nurses and midwives who participated in the program have now gone on to become master trainers, allowing the partnership to expand its impact to 10 maternity referral clinics in the community, thereby improving neonatal birth outcomes in more locations.

The collaboration has also supported the Ministry of Health in delivering and evaluating a cash-for-nutrition program and partnering with the African Federation for Emergency Medicine to pilot a pediatric emergency care curriculum for use across Africa.

In the upcoming year, Boston Children’s Global Health Maggie Ryan fellow, Deborah O'Dowd, will work with Liberian nurses and midwives to continue carrying out training curriculums in General Pediatric and NICU care, providing ultrasound training for pediatricians, and collaborating on research to enhance child health outcomes in Liberia. Additional funding will support the scaling of these training programs in Liberia, addressing the need for pediatric nurses and expanding care to underserved communities.