Global Health Equity and Delivery

At the UGHE Institute of Global Health, I direct the core course Principles of Global Health Equity and lead the teaching of qualitative research, alongside supervising postgraduate students in the Master of Science in Global Health Delivery (MGHD) program. I mentor practicums and research projects that address urgent health challenges in Rwanda and beyond, with a focus on methodological rigor, ethical engagement, and the practical application of research and evidence to strengthen health systems.

Medical Anthropology and Social Medicine

I also convene and teach Medical Anthropology and Social Medicine, a core course for first-year medical students. I have taught this course together with the late Paul Farmer and colleagues from the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, which has given students a unique opportunity to learn from leaders in the field. Through case studies, critical readings, and interactive learning, the course equips future health professionals to recognize how medicine and health are shaped not only by biology, but also by culture and historical and social forces.

Partnership with Vassar College

During my tenure (2020-25) as Head of Humanities and Social Sciences and Academic Director of the Foundations of Global Health Equity curriculum — the first year of medical school at UGHE — I helped develop a partnership with Vassar College (USA) that continues today. The collaboration brings liberal arts and medical students together through joint courses, fieldwork, and exchanges, bridging perspectives from the humanities, social science, medicine, and public health. Among other contributions, I co-designed with Thomas Parker a course on water, health, and sustainability in Rwanda at the interface of environmental humanities and global health, and I co-teach Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning with Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley.