The BDIAP is also proud of its support for pathology education in Africa. It currently supports and finances two pathology trainees from disadvantaged Anglophone countries (currently Kenya and Zambia) to train in the Republic of South Africa. This bodes very well for the future of this initiative. The BDIAP also sends “goodwill ambassadors” to support and lecture in national and international meetings in Africa, including a yearly sponsorship for the South African Divisional Meeting and two yearly for the APECSA (Association of Pathologists of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa) Meetings. More recently the US and Canadian Division, USCAP, has initiated its “Friends of Africa” programme. Thus the efforts of USCAP, the BDIAP, the French Division and the exploits in Northern Africa through the Arab Division all serve to provide some support for pathology education to a continent with particular problems. As an example, one of our member countries is the Netherlands which has around 20 million people and about 400 established pathologists. In stark contrast, Zambia, with a similar population, has, at the last count, just two. We are really only scratching the surface of pathology education in Africa…….
In October 2008 BDIAP councillor Alec Howat and general secretary (now president elect) Neil Shepherd, went on a fact finding visit to Kenya to discover how best the BDIAP can further their help in Africa. The report of that visit by Alec Howat can be found as a pdf file here:
Report by Alec Howat for BDIAP Council on Support for sub-Saharan Anglophone African Pathology
Pathology Senior Lecturer Posts available in Zambia, follow this link