Support the Malawi Project

The Blantyre Malaria Project (BMP), one of four research affiliates embedded in the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS, formerly known as the University of Malawi College of Medicine), was established by Michigan State University’s Dr. Terrie Taylor and Professor Malcolm Molyneux of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1986. Each year between January and early May, the International Health Elective Clerkship provides an opportunity for 24 MSU students (three groups of eight) from the Colleges of Osteopathic and Human Medicine to spend six weeks working at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital practicing medicine in a resource-poor setting under the supervision of Dr. Taylor. The overall goals of this clerkship are to:

• Increase awareness of issues involved in the delivery of health care in developing countries.
• Promote development of the student’s professional attitude, behavior and sensitivity to challenges.
• Acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to function in health care settings in developing countries.
• Develop a cultural awareness (customs, nutrition, traditional medical beliefs, etc.) of the patient population.

Give to the Malawi Project and support valuable student experiences

This elective impacts students on many levels. Clinically, their confidence in their physical diagnostic skills increases significantly – and because they see very sick patients improving with very basic care, their "threshold for panic" is raised, which makes the impending transition to internship less daunting. Students are invariably impressed with how well their Malawian counterparts cope creatively in a resource-challenged setting, how patiently the patients and their families wait for their health care, and how far meager resources can stretch.

While in Malawi, students are exposed to a wide variety of clinical experiences. Dr. Taylor supervises MSU students in conjunction with her work at the Blantyre Malaria Project. Clinical experience options include:

• Internal Medicine (general, TB, HIV-related disease): Includes inpatient care and outpatient clinics.
• OB/GYN: On average, there are 50-60 deliveries/day at the hospital, including many complicated and prolonged labors.
• Pediatrics: A wide variety of pediatric problems are seen on the wards and in the Pediatric Accident & Emergency area.
• Surgery: The surgical suites are shared by general surgeons, pediatric, ENT, and orthopedic surgeons.

Your Support Makes a Huge Difference

Gifts to the Malawi Project help pay for a portion of the travel costs for Michigan State University medical students. The airfare and housing costs for the six week rotation in Malawi are currently funded by the students themselves. Many medical students are already deeply in debt, and this impinges upon the decision to take advantage of the Malawi elective. Working in Africa is a stunning capstone experience, and in order to relieve some of the financial burden, gifts to the Malawi Project help cover a portion of student travel costs.

Donations also help subsidize housing costs at the MSU House in Blantyre. The Malawi Project provides a unique, immersive experience where students live and work together with Dr. Taylor. The opportunity to learn in both the hospital setting and through informal mentoring with a renowned expert in global health such as Dr. Taylor is invaluable. Gifts help support wages for house personnel and maintenance. 

Who We Are

The Malawi Project is led by Dr. Terrie E. Taylor, D.O.. A life-long resident of Traverse City, Michigan, Dr. Taylor was introduced to global health research in 1982, in the context of an NIH-funded MSU-led research project in the Sudan – her interest in parasitic diseases, her delight in the challenges of working in research limited settings and her willingness to share all of this with medical students culminated in a faculty position at the Michigan State University College of Medicine in 1986 (following a Masters level course at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).

Since then, Dr. Taylor has lived and worked in Malawi for six months each year. Her research focus is the pathogenesis of severe malaria in Malawian children — and she has hosted final year medical students from Michigan State in Malawi every year since 1988.

Make a Gift by Mail:

University Advancement
Spartan Way
535 Chestnut Road, Room 300
East Lansing, MI 48824

*Make check payable to Michigan State University and write “Appeal 22GGDCF1MALAWI” in the note section.

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