Dr. Hovaire Nsabimana was born in rural Rwanda where death from preventable diseases, treatment delays and limited access to health information was a problem. Those factors, combined with his younger sister’s death due to poor quality health care, pushed him to become a pediatrician.
As an outstanding student, Dr. Nsabimana had a chance to attend the University of Rwanda School of Medicine. As a medical student he participated in a variety of rural health education campaigns and developed an interest in clinical research. He travelled to the U.S. for additional training before returning to Rwanda to complete a pediatric residency.
In 2016, he joined the University Teaching Hospital of Butare in Southern Rwanda. He served as a pediatrician and clinical lecturer for four years. He then worked in Zambia and with several medical organizations, including Doctors without Borders, as a consulting pediatrician and in other roles.
Currently Dr. Nsabimana is a pediatric consultant for Doctors with Africa CUAMM, working to improve the quality of health care, advance clinical training of health-care professionals and organize emergency services at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pédiatrique de Bangui, Central Africa Republic.
He is a fellow of the International Society for Quality in Health Care. Dr. Nsabimana’s main interests are clinical pediatrics, leadership, safety and health care quality, research and advocating for children in developing countries.
“I believe the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Research will help me achieve my dream of becoming a global health child advocate,” he says. “St. Jude offers is a unique opportunity to study clinical practice, research and leadership. My main priority is to develop the skills necessary to improve health and achieve health equity for people worldwide.”
Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda
Education
ISQua Fellowship: Dublin 2/ Ireland (2021)
Master of Pediatrics and Child Health: University of Rwanda, Kigali /Rwanda (2016)
MD, Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery: University of Rwanda, Kigali/Rwanda (2012)