Research

Tenwek Hospital has a long history of conducting research activities to improve healthcare for our patients and community. To meet the growing needs, the Research Department commenced in 2015. Tenwek Hospital investigators, who often collaborate with numerous partners, work diligently to understand the burden of disease that our patients suffer from, to examine our outcomes, to prevent illness from developing, to initiate improvements in care, and to report to others so that they may also learn and improve. We believe it is our responsibility to always strive to advance the care for our patients and our community. To further build capacity, any research activities at Tenwek Hospital should be conducted under the supervision of a long-term staff member as a co-investigator and author.

Over the years, we have conducted numerous studies. As examples, here are a few that are representative of our efforts.

Esophageal cancer is common in our region. Because of this, Tenwek Hospital has placed more esophageal stents than anywhere in the world and continues to help others learn. There are ongoing efforts to better understand and prevent the causes of esophageal cancer. One notable finding is that individuals in our surrounding community drink tea hotter than anywhere else in the world

There is an increasing number of patients with colon and rectal cancer within the region  and surgery improves survival

Investigators have worked to better understand how to improve various other aspects of care at Tenwek Hospital including critical care , neonatal care , neurosurgery  eye care , orthopedic care , and cancer care .

To ensure that research is conducted ethically and patients and the community are protected, all projects must be approved by the Tenwek Hospital Institutional Ethics Review Committee