Summery report after 35 courses:

Between 1995 and 2010 a total of 35 Tropical Medicine Expeditions have been carried out and supervised by Dr. Kay Schaefer. 17 took place in Kenya, 16 in Uganda and 2 in Tanzania. A total of 294 healthcare professionals from all over the world have been trained on Tropical Medicine and Travelers Health during the 2-week-long courses (on average 9 participants per course). Among them were 159 women (54%) and 135 men (46%). The average age was 45 years. Regarding ancestry, 201 (68%) came from Europe, 63 (21%) from USA/Canada, 15 (5%) from Australia, 8 (3%) from Asia and 7 (2%) from Africa. The specialized fields were divided as follows: 115 (39%) General Practitioners, 63 (21%) Physicians, 35 (12%) Tropical Medicine experts, 34 (12%) Public Health experts, 21 (7%) Occupational Health experts, 14 (5%) Microbiologists/Laboratory specialists, 5 (2%) Dermatologists as well as doctors and scientists from other specializations.

Publications: Dover A, Report of my experience with a tropical medicine expedition for healthcare professionals in Tanzania 2009. ISTM NewsShare, October 2009. Page 5 – 6 (www.istm.org)  >> Download Publication as PDF Simons, Hillary: TROPMEDEX Kenya 2009: highlights of a medical tour. RCN Travel Health Forum, Summer 2009, Page: 1, 12-17. (www.rcn.org.uk/travelhealth)  >> Download Publication as PDF Schaefer KU, Education of healthcare professionals in Tropical Medicine and Travellers Health in East Africa – a review. British Travel Health Association Journal, September 2007, Volume 9, P. 41-43. (www.btha.org) >> Download Publication as PDF

Testimonials of former participants

"Having only recently returned from Dr Kay Schaefer’s tropical medicine expedition through parts of mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar in March 2010, I am already plotting my return to East Africa to experience another of his TROPMEDEX courses, either in Uganda or Kenya.  Whether experiencing rarely seen manifestations of tropical infectious diseases during hospital ward rounds and clinics or hunting down the source of diseases such as schistosomiasis in small ponds, we were always learning while having an unforgettable “Out of Africa” experience.  Dr. Schaefer vitalises his courses with a unique combination of his knowledge of tropical diseases and travel medicine, a deep knowledge and understanding of East Africa, impressive fluency in Kiswahili, and an inherently adventurous spirit.  If you are considering a TROPMEDEX course, my only possible advice is, don’t just think about it, do it."
Denise Barnfather, MD, Public Health Medicine Specialist, Auckland / New Zealand, dbarnfather@adhb.govt.nz


"I was very fortunate to attend the TROPMEDEX 2010 course in Uganda. This was an utterly fascinating and very rewarding fortnight which opened my eyes to the reality of tropical medicine as well as medicine in general in Africa. I would commend one of Kay's well organized courses to anyone even remotely interested in the subject."
Simon Dalton (MD), Christchurch, New Zealand, dalton@ihug.co.nz


"My tropical medicine expedition to Uganda during February 2010 was an absolutely amazing experience. Not only did I have the opportunity to see actual cases of tropical diseases we learnt in theory in Travel medicine, but I also had the chance to experience natural wonders such as the origin of the White Nile at Jinja and the rainforest at Mabira. Trapping tsetse flies, “fishing” for snails and hunting crabs as part of the field excursions to learn about the vectors of these tropical diseases was an interesting and exciting experience.  Dr Schaefer is an excellent teacher and his passion for East Africa is “contagious."
Marietjie Bester, Primary Health Care Nurse; University of Johannesburg, South Africa, marietjieb@uj.ac.za


"The Tanzania 2010 Tropmedex course certainly lived up to expectations. Dr Kay Schaefer has a wealth of experience and knowledge of East Africa. He has an obvious passion for teaching clinical tropical medicine. We visited hospitals and medical clinics in Arusha, Karatu, Zanzibar and other parts of rural Tanzania. Attended ward rounds, post-admission rounds and clinics and saw so much different pathology, mostly HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB and many different tropical infectious diseases including Human African Trypanosomiasis, Leprosy, Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis, Brucellosis, Cholera, Typhoid, Tetanus, the list goes on. Tanzania is an inspiring place and Kay’s program opened all our eyes to it. Well worth doing for anyone who is interested in clinical tropical medicine but more particularly for those who need upskilling in a way that makes you not forget!"
Eddy Bajrovic, MBBS, Medical Director, Travelvax, Perth / Australia, e.bajrovic@iinet.net.au


"I was amazed to see my first cases of African trypanosomiasis in Uganda. The ‘Pearl of Africa’ is a spectacular country to visit."
Denis Bartrum, MD, Queensland / Australia, dba31306@bigpond.net.au


"The variety of tropical infectious diseases in Kenya is unique. Excellent teaching and organization. I’ll be back."
Scott Harris, MD, Birmingham, Alabama / USA, sharris@hiwaay.net


"Whoever wants to work in Africa should travel with Kay Schaefer first. I got to know the medical infrastructure in Uganda and made a lot of contacts to hospitals, universities and non governmental organizations (NGO’s)."
Rhiannon Hughes, MD, Port Alberni, British Columbia / Canada, hughesb@shaw.ca


"I got a practical approach to clinical tropical medicine on Dr. Schaefer’s course in Kenya. The highlight was the visit to Marigat Subdivision Hospital in Baringo District, where I saw patients with visceral leishmaniasis followed by a field excursion where I saw sandflies (vector of visceral leishmaniasis) breeding in eroded termite hills."
Jim Strong, MD, Winnipeg, Manitoba / Canada, jim_strong@phac-aspc.gc.ca


"The Uganda trip was fantastic. The small number of participants increased the advantages of excellent bed-site teaching and laboratory manuals."
Terence O’Sullivan, MD, Broome / Australia, doctortos@hotmail.com


"My courses in Kenya and Uganda were perfect working-holidays. Whoever needs hands-on experience on clinical tropical medicine and travelers’ health and wants to get a feeling for Africa, travel with Kay Schaefer. Unforgettable."
Sally Williams, MD, Portland, Oregon / USA, sally.e.williams@comcast.net


"Kay Schaefer opened my eyes to clinical tropical medicine. I learned so much during the course. However, I was shocked by the high incidence of AIDS cases in Kenya."
Carol White, MD, Kingston, Ontario / Canada, whiteca05@hotmail.com


Former participants are welcome to brief you on their experience:

Arthur Dover, MD / USA		dover@arthurdovermd.com
Ann van de Velde, MD / Belgium		ann.van.de.velde@uza.be
Christopher Schull, MD / Australia		crschull@bigpond.net.au
Charles Green, MD / USA		cgreen@medicine.nodal.edu
Shawn Mattas, MD / Canada		docmattas@gmail.com
Eugene Gavrilin, MD (WHO) / Denmark		eugene.gavrilin@gmail.com
Bo Claesson, MD (WHO) / Sweden		bo.claesson@comhem.se
Peter Ackle, MD / Switzerland		peter.ackle@him.ch
Frederik van Gemert, MD / Netherlands		frgemert@xs4all.nl
Anna Wiencek, MD / Poland		anabel@poczta.onet.pl
Agust Sverrisson, MD / Iceland		agust@hsu.is

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