Dr. Nadlie Toussaint Accepted into the ACHIEVE Training Program

Sep 4, 2024

The Department of Surgery congratulates Dr. Toussaint on her acceptance into the ACHIEVE training program. Dr. Toussaint, who originates from Haiti, has always had an interest in pediatric surgery and global surgery. In pursuit of these goals, she is participating in research as the pediatric global surgery research fellow on a 2 year research fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

In addition to the research fellowship, she has recently been accepted into the ACHIEVE program, which is a training program within the NIH Fogarty International Center (FIC) Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars /Launching Future Leaders in Global Health Research Training Program (LAUNCH), that focuses on increasing dissemination and implementation (D&I) and data science research capacity in order to address global health disparities affecting children, adolescents, and their adult caregivers. The ACHIEVE program is designed for medical doctors and post-doctoral trainees from diverse backgrounds in the U.S., especially groups underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research, as well as trainees from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa including, Uganda. Dr. Toussaint will begin a D&I study on the barriers to adequate intravenous nutrition of pediatric surgical patients in the perioperative period and the effects of lipids on mortality rates in children with intestinal atresia, esophageal atresia and gastroschisis in Kampala Uganda this fall. The scarcity of nutritional support in neonatal care can severely impact these vulnerable patients, often leading to high mortality rates. In low and middle income countries where healthcare resources can be limited, addressing the nutritional needs of neonates after surgical interventions can make a life-saving difference.