UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXCHANGE

Since 2008, there has been a lively exchange of undergraduate students between the two participating sites. Every year, medical students from CUHAS are visiting Würzburg for a six to eight weeks stay at JMU/UKW and vice versa, medical students from JMU are offered a three months stay at CUHAS. This exchange program for medical students is now integrated under the umbrella of the Else Kröner Center. To guarantee a constant exchange between the two sites on the undergraduate level, a continuous program for standardized application to this exchange, including standardized requirements in past study achievements and a formal application procedure through the local Else Kröner Center management office was implemented. The undergraduate exchange program allows students from both sites to establish contacts early on during their studies and thus forms the basis for other activities within the Center.

​

 

JOINT STUDY CURRICULUM

Within the Else Kröner Center, we developed a bilateral "Biostatistics and Epidemiology" M.Sc. study program in collaboration between both universities. The program includes teaching activities of academic staff from both universities, e.g. via online tutorials and video conferences, and joint supervision of the final thesis work by academic partners from both sites. Additionally, the program habours various opportunities for a student exchange between the partnering universities. The new course is complementary to already existing courses at CUHAS and the Translational Medicine M.Sc. program at the University of Würzburg. For Translational Medicine students in Würzburg, we will offer research projects in Mwanza with a specific focus on ongoing research projects in both places. In the long term, we envision to copy this bilateral approach for other study fields, e.g. a postgraduate course in diagnostic and clinical microbiology.

In addition, the Else Kröner Center is participating in the expansion of the Master of Public Health currciulum at CUHAS, with the aim of strengthening its focus on One Health topics. Students from both sites benefit from this amplified collaboration.

​

 

EDUCATE ACADEMIC AND MEDICAL MULTIPLIERS

The Else Kröner Center also offers a structured PhD program in biomedical topics of direct clinical relevance for PhD students from Mwanza. The students get the opportunity to do a PhD jointly supervised by partners from Mwanza and Würzburg. This includes a mandatory exchange and stay in Würzburg to allow for a maximum method transfer. After completion of their PhD, the scholars commit for several years of academic and medical activity at CUHAS/BMC and will thus form the academic and medical lead personnel of the future. We envision that this program will provide a next generation of academics in Mwanza and foster the position of CUHAS and BMC as a leading medical facility in Tanzania. Within the Else Kröner Center, 5 fully funded PhD students and additional 3 PhD associates were selected in a competitive process with referees from both sites.