

Botswana
A landlocked country in Southern Africa, Botswana has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during the seasonal floods. Meanwhile the massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.





About the Leadership
University of Botswana was established in 1982 as the nation’s first institution of higher education, with the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences as well as its several affiliate sites standing as our domestic partner institution. With Dean of Faculty of Medicine Professor Oatlhokwa Nkomazana, Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences Professor Ishmael Kasvove, and Global Health Program Coordinator Professor Lynnette Tumwine Kyokunda, the institution is led by strong leadership.
About the Institution
The University of Botswana Faculty of Medicine has 11 departments: Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Biomedical Sciences, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine and Public Health, Internal Medicine, Medical Education, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Child Health, Pathology, Psychiatry, Radiology and Surgery. Undergraduate programs include Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, while the 12 post graduate programs include Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Adolescent Health, Psychiatry, Public Health Medicine, and Anaesthesiology.
About the Clinical Experience
Botswana enjoys a strong and organized health system with universal health coverage for all its citizens including control of HIV/AIDS infection. Healthcare in Botswana is delivered through a hybrid centralized decentralized model with six national referral hospitals and associated laboratories that provide specialized and somewhat distinct services for the regions they cover. In addition to the referral hospitals, district, primary clinics, and health posts—currently being phased out and converted into primary clinics—provide basic pathology and laboratory services.
​
We offer Global Health Program participants enriching clinical experiences with exposure to multiple levels of healthcare which help build an understanding of the importance of context, as well as skills in diagnosis and management skills, in a resource-limited setting. Our site offers a unique opportunity to delve into the impact of culture on patient presentation, doctor-patient and team relationships, and the provision of medical care. Working in teams with other students, health professionals, and trainees, participants spend time with the dynamic and resourceful University of Botswana faculty committed to working in resource-limited settings while engaging in meaningful exchange.

Majid Sadigh, MD during a site visit to Botswana