UCSF global health in action

UCSF global health projects

Members of the Rwandan-based and international faculty pictured below include Dr. Sarah Nuss (Brown University medical student, now Harvard resident), Dr. Ivy Maina (previously an otolaryngology resident from University of Pennsylvania, now in practice), Dr. Valerie Salano (otolaryngologist, Kenya), Dr. Mary Jue Xu (UCSF). 

The University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda was established in 2014 by the NGO Partners in Health. Dr. Gratien Tuyishimire (Rwandan otolaryngologist, UCSF CHESA fellow) and Dr. Mary Jue Xu (UCSF faculty) co-directed the first otolaryngology clerkship for the inaugural medical school class in 2023. The team has expanded and since returned yearly. 

Dr. Gratien Tuyishimire walking students through performing a cricothyrotomy and tracheotomy on simulation models.
UCSF represented well at UGHE summer of 2025. Dr. Mary Xu (UCSF faculty), Nour Aissaoui (UCSF medical student), and Dr. Alyssa Civantos (UCSF OHNS resident) all supported the otolaryngology clerkship. 

Peruvian children transported by plane from distant and inaccessible regions of Peru to participate in craniofacial care at the Hosptital Regional de Ica in Ica, Peru.
Dr. Jordan Virbalas and patient recovering from cleft lip repair. Evidently, he’s unable to find a comb in Peru.

Dr. Jordan Virbalas performing a pediatric airway expansion procedure with Dr. Ruth Kagere from Uganda and Dr. Willybroad Massawe from Tanzania during his visit to Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania, in summer of 2024.
Dr. Jordan Virbalas evaluating a complex oropharyngeal stenosis with Dr. Edwin Isawafo Mwanga, an otolaryngology resident at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania. 
Dr. Jordan Virbalas and Dr. Ruth Kagere performing a pediatric airway expansion procedure.

Dr. Jeffrey Sharon and Dr. Eric Formeister were guest faculty leading a temporal bone dissection course and teaching in the operating room at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania in 2022 and 2023. 

Dr. Andrew Goldberg at Muhimbili Universities of Health and Allied Sciences in front of the Haile Debas Center for Professions Education Building in Tanzania. He was a guest lecture in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Muhimbili National Hospital in July 2024. He led dissection courses, didactics to both the otolaryngology and neurosurgery departments, and taught in the operating room. Dr. Goldberg has also previously taught at the Otorhinolaryngology Department at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Tanzania. 

Med Student and Mentor Tanzania

Leyda Marrero Morales (UCSF medical student) did a summer research internship in Tanzania supporting the ITAG (Implementation of a Multi-Faceted Intervention to Improve Tracheostomy and Gastrostomy Care for Cancer Patients in Tanzania) study. She was co-mentored by the project principal investigator, Dr. Selekwa Msiba, and Dr. Mary Jue Xu. She is seen here working with Dr. Selekwa Msiba. During her research internship the summer of 2023, Leyda helped to develop study instruments, a patient tracking tool, and led a scoping review on gastrostomy tube care in low and middle-income countries. 

Zoom screen of CHESA UCSF meeting

Dr. Lia Jacobson on the bimonthly CHESA Fellowship zoom session with multidisciplinary fellows and faculty from across the globe. 

International Collaborating Visitors at UCSF

Dr. Aslam Nkya, Chair of Otorhinolaryngology at Muhimbili National Hospital, completed a head and neck surgical oncology fellowship in South Korea. Prior to becoming Chair of his department, he visited UCSF as part of the UCSF Global Cancer Program visiting scholars program and later as a Fogarty GloCal Fellow. He has been a tremendous leader in his department, aiming to expand subspeciality capacity, forging new collaborations, supporting expansion of research, and continued mentorship of his trainees and faculty. He has collaborated with Dr. Mary Jue Xu on projects looking at head and neck cancer outcomes, human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancers, and improvements in tracheostomy care. Additionally, Dr. Nkya attended the 2024 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Conference in Miami, FL, and the UCSF 2024 Head and Neck Dissection Course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Willybroad Massawe is an otolaryngology surgeon at Muhimbili National Hospital. He describes his experiences at UCSF below:

I first visited UCSF in the summer of 2022 as a Global Cancer Fellow, supported by the generous Hellen and Deller Family Scholarship. During this transformative period, I was immersed in UCSF’s vibrant clinical research culture and completed foundational courses including Designing Clinical Research (DCR) and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). 

These experiences culminated in the development of my first clinical research protocol, which earned me a prestigious GloCal Health Fellowship and a return to UCSF in 2023.

In my second visit as GloCal fellow from LMIC I had the privilege of working closely with my mentor, Dr. Mary Xu, and the Head and Neck Oncology Unit for two months. I further expanded my research toolkit through courses in Introduction to Statistical Analysis (STATA) and Introduction to Implementation Science. I am currently developing an implementation science protocol aimed at improving cancer care delivery in low-resource settings.

The visits to UCSF have created most enriching experiences of my professional journey. It has not only deepened my research capacity but also fostered enduring friendships and collaborations across the U.S. I look forward to sustaining these partnerships as part of a lifelong commitment to global cancer equity.

 

Dr. Baraka Musimu is an otolaryngologist in Tanzania. He was previously a resident from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and now is a practicing otolaryngologist at Bugando Medical Center. As a Global Cancer Program Fellow and UCSF Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia (CHESA) Fellow, he came to UCSF to visit in March 2024 prior to attending the CUGH conference, where he presented his work on depression among head and neck cancer patients in Tanzania. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jimmy Ernest is an otolaryngology surgeon at Muhimbili National Hospital with an interest in otology. He attended the 2025 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Conference in Indianapolis, IN. Following the meeting, he came to UCSF to shadow in the operating rooms and clinic.