We are excited to announce the two newest Clack Family Scholars, Cèlèbre Mualaba and Jalilarah Nassozi. As 2024 Clack Family awardees, they will receive funds to continue their neurosurgical education in their home countries.
Dr Célèbre Mualaba is an aspiring neurosurgeon from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is in his fifth year of neurosurgery training at Cheikh Anto Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. Dr. Mualaba’s program director is Professor Momar Codè BA.
His home country has approximately 20 neurosurgeons for a population of 100 million. In the central part of the country where he is from, there are no neurosurgeons.
FIENS is proud to support Dr. Mualaba in completing his final year of training so he can bring his critical skills back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The cost of living is high in Senegal; with this support I will be able to cover my expenses and complete my final year of training.”
Jalilarah Nassozi is a Ugandan female currently pursuing her postgraduate studies in neurosurgery at Kenyatta National Hospital in Kenya. She is in her second year of a neurosurgical fellowship with COSECSA.
Dr. Nassozi’s home country of Uganda has a population of 50 million people. She explained that there is a high mortality rate – 45.3% – which is associated with traumatic brain injury due to a very high burden of road traffic accidents which has led to an increased burden of both traumatic brain and spinal injuries. Currently, there are only 20 neurosurgeons in Uganda; only two are women. All 20 neurosurgeons are based in the main cities which leads to very long waiting periods for patients outside the main cities with neurosurgical conditions and trauma.
Dr. Nassozi works long hours per week to support herself. The long hours of work in addition to her studies make her endeavor to become a neurosurgeon extremely challenging. Through this scholarship, FIENS hopes to relieve some of this burden so that she will complete her studies and return to her home country of Uganda to address the critical need for neurosurgical services there.
We look forward to sharing updates on the progress of these ambitious neurosurgeons who will save and improve the lives of many in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and inspire other practitioners to pursue neurosurgical education pathways.
