Three years ago, I arrived in this country seeking peace and security. I was welcomed with an extraordinary opportunity: to not only practice as a colorectal surgeon but to lay the foundation for an entirely new fellowship program.
“I am profoundly grateful to the Government of the Republic of Rwanda, the incredibly committed leadership at the Ministry of Health, and the Clinical & Academic leaders at CHUK and the University of Rwanda, whose collective vision and trust gave me this rare opportunity of building up a Colorectal Surgery Fellowship Program from scratch.”
With the dedicated collaboration of my colleagues from the University, we embarked on the monumental task of creating a formal fellowship. For over two years, we worked tirelessly—through countless workshops, discussions, and revisions—to craft a robust curriculum. This foundational effort culminated on April 28, 2025, with the official launch of the fellowship program and the recruitment of our first fellows.
I was lucky to meet an exceptionally talented and disciplined young general surgeon with the potential to become an outstanding leader in colorectal surgery.
Each week, at the university teaching hospital, we carry out two to three elective surgeries for colorectal cancer and six to eight anorectal pathologies. The fellowship is blessed by the simple fact that Kigali is the center of IRCAD Africa, and our fellows had the opportunity to attend skill training and to foster possible collaborations for future fellows.
To ensure international standards, we sought external partnerships. The University of Michigan (UM) responded generously, sending experts to discuss how they could support our mission. They shared invaluable insights from their experience running similar programs in Africa- Ghana, provided their curriculum for reference, and granted us monthly access to their educational conferences, which have been a tremendous resource for learning. A pivotal moment in our collaboration is captured in the attached photo, showing our team engaged in a critical discussion on the latest management strategies for rectal cancer, laparoscopic colectomy done by fellows, and tumor board proceedings at the CHUK.
Beyond knowledge sharing, UM has agreed to offer our fellows a month-long external rotation, providing unparalleled exposure to global practices. It is deeply fulfilling to see the collective effort of so many beginning to bear fruit. My university has already announced it will accept the next batch of trainees.
In a few short years, what began as a personal journey for safety has transformed into a sustainable legacy. Together, we are building the capacity to ensure this nation will have an adequate number of skilled colorectal surgeons, improving care for countless patients for years to come.
