The Temerty Global Health Partnership has trained over 500 community health workers in Kenya and Tanzania.
The Temerty Global Health Partnership (TGHP), an alumni-led initiative founded by Dr. David Mensah (MD '97), has reached a significant milestone in its mission to strengthen primary healthcare capacity in East Africa. Since its establishment in 2015, the partnership has trained over 500 community health workers across rural regions of Kenya and Tanzania, providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver essential health services in communities that lack adequate access to physicians and hospitals.
The training program, developed in collaboration with the University of Nairobi and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, covers a comprehensive curriculum that includes maternal and child health, infectious disease management, nutrition counselling, basic emergency care, and health education. Graduates of the program serve as the primary point of care for communities that are often hours away from the nearest health facility, bridging a critical gap in the healthcare system.
"When I left Toronto to begin this work, I knew the greatest impact would come not from what I could do as a single physician, but from empowering local health workers to serve their own communities," said Dr. Mensah, who splits his time between Toronto and Nairobi. "These health workers are the backbone of healthcare delivery in rural East Africa. Our job is to give them the training and support they need to do their work effectively."
The initiative has also created a clinical exchange program that allows Temerty Medicine students and residents to spend up to three months working alongside Kenyan and Tanzanian health workers in rural settings. To date, over 80 University of Toronto trainees have participated in the exchange, gaining firsthand experience in global health delivery while contributing to the program's clinical training activities. The exchange has been described by participants as a transformative learning experience that has shaped their approach to medicine.
Funding for the partnership comes from a combination of alumni donations, grants from Global Affairs Canada, and support from the University of Toronto's Centre for Global Health. Dr. Mensah recently announced plans to expand the program to Uganda and Rwanda over the next three years, with the goal of training an additional 1,000 community health workers by 2030. The initiative stands as a powerful example of how alumni engagement can drive meaningful change in global health.
