Addressing Neurological Diseases: Creating Inpatient Services and Training Programs in Zambia

Description

Neurological diseases are a significant portion of disability numbers in Zambia, but the workforce doesn't match the burden. With only 0.002 neurologists per 100,000 people, clients can't receive the care they need and doctors can't provide the type of care necessary because they are in such high demand and are burdened by the immense workload. A new neurology inpatient service and neurology training program are hoping to change this problem.

Join the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for a conversation with Deanna Saylor (MD '11, MHS '09) as she discusses the most prevalent types of neurological disorders and gaps in care, how the need for the program was identified and how the program was built, and how it may change with the needs of the population in the future. Saylor is a neuro-infectious diseases and neuroimmunology specialist with special interest in the neurological complications of HIV infection. Her clinical interests also include other infectious and inflammatory diseases of the brain and spinal cord, including multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, and encephalitis.

Saylor also specializes in global health and neurology, and her research interests include better understanding the neurologic disease burden in resource limited settings, improving neurological education of both neurologists and non-neurologists in resource-limited settings, and improving the care of patients with neurological disorders across the globe. She has ongoing research collaborations in Uganda and Zambia and has previously lived and worked in Kenya.