Dr. David Ciesla found his way to HVO in 2020 through a colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Shick, who introduced him to the HVO oral health project in Nepal. At the time, HVO had shifted to an all-virtual program model due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Dr. Ciesla took part in an online seminar series on pediatric dentistry for Nepalese oral health professionals. It was a positive experience, and he continued providing virtual training opportunities through 2022.
Dr. Ciesla had begun corresponding with a dentist in Uganda who, at fifteen years old, had become sole caretaker of his five siblings. He still managed to put himself through dental school and was practicing in Uganda. As the two got to know each other through Zoom calls and emails, Dr. Ciesla learned how little pediatric dental education was available in Uganda – in fact, there was only one pediatric dentist in the entire country. “There was no pediatric dentistry education there,” said Dr. Ciesla. “And it got me thinking. The concept of bringing education to them was very intriguing to me.” A professor from his global health degree program at Johns Hopkins university connected him with a global health group which connected him to Uganda Christian University in Mukono. He began to build a relationship with them, determining the feasibility of an educational project. “Because of HVO and my experience, I thought, aha! This is something we can do. So I reached out to Lauren [HVO program coordinator], and said, ‘Hey, here’s another opportunity for us outside of Nepal.’” Dr. Ciesla felt that HVO’s partnership would help build a robust educational program capable of developing an undergraduate curriculum for pediatric dentistry at the university.
“Having partners like HVO, we can help them where they are currently short on faculty. All it takes is to train a few. If you can keep some on board, then they can go on to train more,” said Dr. Ciesla. Opportunities that entice providers to stay and practice in Uganda is key. One barrier is that with no training available in country, providers leave to study pediatric dentistry abroad and then stay there to practice. Launching a program within Uganda is a step toward solving the problem.
In June 2022, Dr. Ciesla launched a seminar series with lectures and topics covered by various volunteers. In December, Dr. Ciesla headed to Mukono to see the facilities and meet with partners to determine the next steps for the project. Now, with travel once again easier, Dr. Ciesla has made his second in-person visit to Uganda Christian University and is planning more. In February 2024, he arrived with colleagues to provide support and education, working with partners in their clinic and discussing ways to move forward with their ultimate goal of establishing a residency program by May of 2025. An outline for the undergraduate curriculum has already been developed, and they are currently working towards accreditation. The university’s dean will travel to Kenya this summer to learn from a pediatric dental training program there, the only one in east Africa. He intends to have a document ready by the end of summer to present to Uganda’s government for accreditation.
With the development of both undergraduate and residency programs, Dr. Ciesla’s hope is that there will be more experts available in-country to improve access to pediatric dental care for all Ugandan citizens. “The reality of any specialty is a problem with the rural situation,” he said. “But even if you can’t get specialists out in rural areas, the residents can travel out to those areas and teach people prevention and basic skill sets. My vision is, even if you aren’t going to find as many practicing in rural areas, you still train them so they can train others to supply some of those needs.”
HVO is pleased to be able to support Dr. Ciesla and his colleagues with their mission to improve access to quality pediatric dental care in Uganda! We love hearing how connection to HVO has inspired and supported new educational opportunities for our community.
Currently, we are accepting volunteers to help with online-only training opportunities at Uganda Christian Medical University. If you are interested in learning more, contact HVO program coordinator Lauren Franklin at l.franklin@hvousa.org. You can learn more about the volunteer opportunities available at HVO’s oral health project sites in Nepal, Laos, and Tanzania by visiting https://hvousa.org/specialty-areas/oral-health/.