A President’s Global Impact Fund award brought UMB and Guyanese colleagues together to expand ear, nose, and throat residency training, mentorship, and specialty care.
For several years, faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have collaborated virtually with colleagues in Guyana to strengthen ear, nose, and throat (ENT) care and education by sharing clinical expertise, developing curricula, and supporting the design and administration of written and oral board certification examinations. This spring, support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Center for Global Engagement President’s Global Impact Fund (PGIF) brought that longstanding partnership from the virtual space to the ground, enabling the team to travel to Guyana and work side by side with colleagues at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Led by Rodney J. Taylor, MD, MSPH, MBA, professor and chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Oto-HNS), the multidisciplinary UMB team included Adam Kaufman, MD, PhD (Oto-HNS); Donita Dyalram, MD, DDS, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; and Fleesie Hubbard, MS, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health. The team traveled to Guyana as part of their initiative titled "Strengthening ENT Healthcare and Training in Guyana: A Collaborative Approach," which aims to expand specialty training and foster a sustainable partnership with GPHC.
During the visit, UMB faculty worked alongside GPHC physicians and residents and assessed ENT training needs, clinical resources, and priorities for specialist development. In collaboration with GPHC leadership and Guyana’s Ministry of Health, the team identified prospective opportunities to extend education and mentorship to regional hospitals, potentially broadening the program’s reach and impact across Guyana.
Teaching and mentorship were at the heart of the visit. UMB faculty worked with GPHC residents during complex surgical cases, creating opportunities for hands-on learning and conversations about surgical decision-making and patient care. The team also hosted an Otolaryngology Lecture Day and presented continuing medical education sessions to a vast national network of providers covering topics including acute airway management, thyroid cancer, epistaxis control, head and neck reconstructions, and in-office technical procedures. Cost-effective simulation devices were developed to allow for continued practice of these skills after the UMB team left.
Learning went both ways. Working alongside Guyanese colleagues gave the UMB team a deeper understanding of the strengths of the local health system as well as challenges related to resources, specialty training, and complex head and neck cancer care. Those insights are helping guide what comes next. The partnership has continued well beyond the team’s return to Baltimore. UMB faculty remain actively engaged with GPHC through remote lectures, complex case discussions, skills assessments, ongoing mentorship, and support for board certification examinations.
What’s Next
The next phase of the collaboration will focus on strengthening support for GPHC’s ENT residency program, with expanded preparation for resident examinations and continued clinical and academic mentorship. Looking ahead, the teams hope to continue in-person educational visits while developing new opportunities for specialty training, faculty and trainee exchanges, and clinical research focused on health priorities relevant to Guyana. A longer-term goal is to deepen engagement with GPHC and Guyana’s Ministry of Health to align future activities with national priorities for workforce development and specialty care.
What began as a virtual connection is growing into a lasting partnership — one grounded in shared learning, local priorities, and a commitment to strengthening ENT training and care in Guyana.