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A Case Study Optimizing Human Resources in Rwanda's First Dental School: Three Innovative Management Tools
Donna M Hackley1, Chrispinus H Mumena2, Agnes Gatarayiha2
1Donna M. Hackley, DMD, MA, is Principal Investigator of Harvard School of Dental Medicine's Human Resources for Health Rwanda Project, as well as Part-Time Instructor, Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Clinical Instructor, Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Rwanda School of Dentistry, Kigali, Rwanda; Chrispinus H. Mumena, DDS, MDent OMFS, PGCLTHE, is Acting Dean, University of Rwanda School of Dentistry, Kigali and Huye, Rwanda; Agnes Gatarayiha, MSc, is Acting Deputy Dean and Chairperson of Research, University of Rwanda School of Dentistry, Kigali and Huye, Rwanda; Corrado Cancedda, MD, PhD, is Academic Consortium Coordinator for Human Resources for Health Program, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; and Jane R. Barrow, MPH, is Associate Dean for Global and Community Health, Executive Director of the Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine, and Lecturer in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine. dmhackley@comcast.net.
Abstract:
Harvard School of Dental Medicine, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and the University of Rwanda (UR) are collaborating to create Rwanda's first School of Dentistry as part of the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Rwanda initiative that aims to strengthen the health care system of Rwanda. The HRH oral health team developed three management tools to measure progress in systems-strengthening efforts: 1) the road map is an operations plan for the entire dental school and facilitates delivery of the curriculum and management of human and material resources; 2) each HRH U.S. faculty member develops a work plan with targeted deliverables for his or her rotation, which is facilitated with biweekly flash reports that measure progress and keep the faculty member focused on his or her specific deliverables; and 3) the redesigned HRH twinning model, changed from twinning of an HRH faculty member with a single Rwandan faculty member to twinning with multiple Rwandan faculty members based on shared academic interests and goals, has improved efficiency, heightened engagement of the UR dental faculty, and increased the impact of HRH U.S. faculty members. These new tools enable the team to measure its progress toward the collaborative's goals and understand the successes and challenges in moving toward the planned targets. The tools have been valuable instruments in fostering discussion around priorities and deployment of resources as well as in developing strong relationships, enabling two-way exchange of knowledge, and promoting sustainability.
