UPDATE -SPHMMC NEWSLETTER No-2

The

DECEMBER 2021/Issue No 2

News from St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College

St. Paul’s marks its 75th anniversary with a series of celebrations

St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College Email: info@sphmmc.edu.et +251112733565 Post: 1271 Swaziland Street , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P.O.Box: 1271 Swaziland Street, Addis Ababa,Ethiopia

Layout and Graphic designer

Mekedim Girima

Editors Neway Tsegaye Belan Antensay Photography Moges Mekonnen Publisher SPHMMC Communications

The St. Paul Millennium Medical College is preparing to mark its 75th year anniversary this coming year through a multitude of events, special guests, and offerings. The logo for this grand celebration has been prepared by the Communication Directorate and will be accompanied by the theme:

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A Proud Past, An Amazing Future. The series of ceremonies and celebrations will be held from January to July 2022 (2014 E.C.).

These celebrations will be prepared in collaboration with the general public. Hence, all who were born in this hospital, who have received medical service

here, who have visited loved ones here, who graduated from or currently attend any of our medical programs, or who have worked at this institution are cordially invited to celebrate this glorious time and recognize the history of this pioneer institution.

To best serve our community, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College continuously aims to excel in all spheres. It does this by educating skilled and competitive health professionals, conducting problem-based research, and putting community service at the forefront of our practice.

We are honored to have served the community since the days of the late Emperor Haileselassie until our current day, where we provide quality healthcare to hundreds of Ethiopians each and every day.

From the Provost’s Desk.....

In marking the college’s 75th anniversary, we’ve adopted the motto “A proud past – an amazing future”. We are proud of the services we’ve delivered since our founding and are dedicated to excellence across our leadership and governance, our community services efforts, our research and innovation, our postgraduate education, and our specialised health services, for years to come.

We have prepared an electronic newsletter to present highlight some of the major activities and accomplishments carried out at St. Paul’s over the last three months. Through periodic newsletters like this one, we hope to regularly inform you about the activities our college is undertaking.

Enjoy reading!

Dr. Wendmagegne Gezhagne

Meet Our Boards of Directors

SPHMMC Senate assigns new deans for three new schools

On October 1st, 2021, the Senate of St. Paul’s Hospital Millenium Medical College voted to upgrade three departments to become official SPHMMC Schools: the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health, and the School of Nursing.

a highly competitive medical university in Africa. Furthermore, with broader programming, SPHMMC can upgrade its human, physical, financial, and education resources so that it may best serve the needs of the community.

of Public Health, and Dr. Dereje, Dean of the School of Nursing.

The establishment of these schools is accompanied by further accreditation and quality improvement of the education SPHMMC provides, and better allows This upgrade allows the To lead each new School, the college to adjust its college to expand its of- the Senate has assigned medical education to the ferings in each school and three new deans: Dr. Mara- changing conditions of the develop educational pro- mawit, Dean of the School healthcare system. gramming in line with of Medicine; Dr. SamaSPHMMC’s goal to be rawit, Dean of the School

SPHMMC gains its first automated COVID-19 testing machine St. Paul Hospital has just acquired its first COVID-19 testing machine called COBAS 6800. The machine is able to help perform real-time PCR testing, the most reliable test to detect the presence of the novel coronavirus. At a price of over 10 million ETB, the machine has the potential to significantly enhance testing capacity at SPHMMC. Dr. Berhane Meskel, head of the SPHMMC Central Laboratory, said that with the help of the COBAS 6800, dozens of swabs are able to be tested at once, with the potential of testing up to 1,200 samples in a 24-hour period.

The COBAS 6800 operates with sophisticated technology that minimizes the chance of sample contamination and the risk of infection to health care workers. Reportedly, the COBAS 6800 can also detect other ailments like Hepatitis B&C, HIV, MTb, Papilloma, CMV, Chlamydia, and Neisseria.

St. Paul’s receives award for quality from the EHAQ At a ceremony held at Eliana Hotel, SPHMMC was awarded the 2021 Award for Quality by the Ethiopia Hospital Alliance for Quality (EHAQ).

The EHAQ works to create a network of hospitals that support each other’s quality improvement, with a focus

on patient satisfaction and health outcomes. It does this by guiding member hospitals towards improvement by sharing evidence-based best practices, conducting educational workshops, and encouraging the collection of accurate data.

The organization awarded

the college 2 million ETB and one pickup vehicle for its best performance. Dr. Wendmagegn Gezahegn, the Provost, told journalists during the occasion that the results were achieved through the cooperation and hard work of the college staff.

Celebrating World Radiology Day On November 8th, SPHMMC celebrated International Radiology Day -- the specialization of diagnosing and treating disease using imaging technology.

This annual event recognizes achievements in medical imaging in modern healthcare. This year is the 126th anniversary of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays, which led to the production of the first radiographs and laid the foundation for radiology as a medical discipline.

This year’s theme is “Interventional Radiology – Active care for the patient”, which focuses on the subspecialty that utilizes medical imaging guidance to perform minimally invasive procedures.

At SPHMMC, we organized a panel discussion and presentation on this topic and the college’s achievements in radiology training and service. In past years, Radiology Day themes have included brain imaging, emergency imaging, sports imaging, and more.

More recently, the role of radiology has been essential in assessing the severity of COVID-19 in a patient’s lungs. As the world continues to face the challenges posed by COVID-19, it is extremely important to acknowledge the key role that medical imaging has in medicine, not only during circumstances such as the pandemic but also on a daily basis. On this day, we are reminded of the many important contributions made by radiologists, radiographers, and radiological technologists to protect patients each and every day.

Imaging professionals across the world are coming together to look back at advancements in the field and celebrate the contributions of radiology in the active care of patients. ____________________________________

A group of 25 journalists across private and government media houses participated in a training regarding mental health held on November 27, 2021, at Washington Hotel.

The training was organized by St. Paul’s Public Relations Directorate to commemorate World Mental Health Day. Conducted by three senior psychiatrists, the aim of the training was to enhance public understanding of mental health issues and reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses through presenting balanced and accurate reporting.

Especially as a result of social isolation from the pandemic, many have experienced poorer mental health the last year. World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to raise public awareness about mental health in general, how to care for it, and how important it is to look for support when people suffer from mental health problems. ________________________________________

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) honored Dr. Mekdes Daba Feyssa, our respected staff member, with its 2021 Women’s Award at the XXIII FIGO World Congress in October.

This award recognizes her contribution toward promoting the development of science and scientific research in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology.

It also specifically recognizes female colleagues who throughout their careers have promoted better healthcare for women, mothers, and their children. Dr. Mekdes was one of only 12 international recipients this year. We are all so proud of you!

Let’s get acquainted!

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

With more than ten years of academic excellence at St Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), the Department of Public Health has now been upgraded to the SPHMMC School of Public Health (SOPH). The school strives to be a premier academic institution in public health, recognized for integrating research, teaching, and community service. Our mission is to educate a diverse global community of research scientists and public health professionals, all working to translate knowledge into public health solutions.

The school is now organized into two departments (the Department of Epidemiology and the Department of Health Management, Promotion, Reproductive Health, and Nutrition), five units (Biostatistics, Health Management, Health Promotion, Reproductive Health, and Nutrition), and four coordination offices (Health Science Education Development Coordination Office, Postgraduate Programs Coordina-

tion Office, Continuing Education Programs Coordination Office, and Research and Publication Coordination Office).

The school also houses four graduate programs, including a Masters of General Public Health, a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition, a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology, a field epidemiology training program, and a Doctorate of Public Health program, with more in development! So far, SOPH has graduated more than 220 students across these disciplines and has more than 250 students currently enrolled.

We continue to broaden and strengthen our services through valuable partnerships both at home and abroad. Within SPHMMC, we value collaboration across the various departments. In-country, our collaborations reach different governmental institutions like the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute,

as well as various universities and NGOs. Our external partnerships span across the globe, including the University of Oslo, the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and the University of Ghana, each offering an invaluable knowledge exchange.

The SOPH team would like to thank the SPHMMC administration, the academic commission, the Senate, each of the college’s departments, the students and community, and all of our national and international collaborators for each contribution that supported our program.

We hope and strive for even stronger partnerships ahead in order to meet St Paul’s strategic outcomes in the next five years.

Samrawit Solomon MD, MPH Dean, School of Public Health

Millennium Medical Journal St. Paul’s is proud to announce that it will publish the first edition of The MIllenium Medical Journal – a scientific journal that shares medical information with the healthcare community.

This is a milestone for the medical college since it provides a platform to make stronger scientific contributions through published research and practice papers.

This medical journal has the potential to help SPHMMC reach its goals of excellence in research and community impact.

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