OVERVIEW
The January Institute in Uganda is an 9-week program open to students from UNSW Sydney and the University of Sydney. Participants spend four weeks in Kampala at the University of Makerere and nearby Mulago Hospital completing training on medical equipment repair, working with local biomedical engineering students, learning a local language, and studying appropriate design. This program is unique in that lectures are taught by a Uganda professor of biomedical engineering and his staff. They offer incredible insight into the state of medical equipment in Uganda. During the training period, students stay in guesthouses near Makerere University.
During the second month, participants volunteer in small groups in public hospitals throughout Uganda. They work closely with local medical professionals to repair critical medical devices, perform preventative maintenance and other services in hospitals with great need. This program is supported by the biomedical engineering department at Makerere University.