Christine McBeth, a UC Davis Health associate professor, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award. She will spend six months in The Gambia, building upon her years of training healthcare workers there.
Emergency medicine is not a recognized specialty in The Gambia, leading to significant gaps in trauma care. McBeth’s Fulbright work will support the country’s National Trauma Injury Prevention and Management Plan (2025–2029). She will partner with local clinicians to develop a longitudinal emergency and trauma care curriculum for medical residents. Her research aims to evaluate best practices for implementing trauma care systems, improving clinical workflows, patient outcomes, and provider knowledge, ultimately strengthening The Gambia’s healthcare system.
(SACRAMENTO)
Christine McBeth, associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Health, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award.
The award will allow McBeth to spend six months on research to improve trauma care in a country she’s very familiar with — The Gambia — where she has trained healthcare workers for years.
Her Fullbright work will support the country’s National Trauma Injury Prevention and Management Plan for 2025–2029. The plan was created after a deadly stadium collapse prompted the need for stronger emergency care systems.
Unlike the United States, emergency medicine is not yet recognized as an independent medical specialty in The Gambia and many other low- and middle-income countries. As a result, emergency care is often delivered by physicians from multiple disciplines without standardized emergency medicine training, creating gaps in trauma care, triage and the management of critically ill patients.
During her six-month Fulbright-sponsored appointment, McBeth will partner with clinicians and health system leaders in The Gambia to develop a longitudinal emergency and trauma care curriculum for medical residents and medical officers. Her research will evaluate best practices for implementing emergency and trauma care systems, including improvements in clinical workflow, patient outcomes, provider knowledge and attitudes and strategies to optimize the transfer of injured patients across the country’s healthcare system.
“I am honored to receive this prestigious award,” McBeth said. “The Fulbright is a meaningful recognition of the work we’ve been doing in The Gambia and the difference it is making. This opportunity will allow us to spend six months focused on improving trauma care, helping us build on our progress and reach more people. I’m grateful for the support and recognition this award provides.”
“This opportunity will allow us to spend six months focused on improving trauma care, helping us build on our progress and reach more people. I’m grateful for the support and recognition this award provides.”—Christine McBeth
Supporting healthcare in The Gambia
For the past seven years, McBeth and her UC Davis Health colleagues have traveled to The Gambia annually to teach and train local doctors.
The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. It’s surrounded by Senegal on three sides and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is a portable imaging tool that helps doctors quickly diagnose and treat patients.
Although the country has improved access to healthcare, it still faces a shortage of trained health care workers. According to the World Health Organization, The Gambia has about 1.33 skilled health care workers for every 1,000 people. This is below the level needed to meet the country’s health care needs.
A highlight of the UC Davis Health team’s work has been training providers to use Point-of-Care Ultrasound, or POCUS. The portable imaging tool helps doctors quickly diagnose and treat patients.
POCUS can be used at a patient’s bedside or in the field, making it especially useful in rural areas and communities far from hospitals. It allows healthcare providers to assess patients and make treatment decisions more quickly.
“Our goal has been to build long-term training programs that improve patient care,” McBeth said. “By helping local health care providers develop new skills, we can support a stronger health care system and help improve health outcomes across The Gambia.”
Supporting international partnerships
McBeth’s project reflects UC Davis Health’s longstanding commitment to global health through the UC Davis Center for Global Health. By fostering multidisciplinary international partnerships focused on education, research and sustainable capacity building, the Center has helped facilitate collaborations like this to grow into nationally recognized initiatives such as the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
“Dr. McBeth is building a cutting-edge point-of-care ultrasound diagnostics program in The Gambia, and she is bringing together a multidisciplinary team to do so,” said Shuchi Anand, associate dean of global health at the UC Davis School of Medicine. “Her fellowship is a well-earned national recognition of the value of her work. It is also a reflection of the strong institutional foundation from UC Davis Health. The institution supports talented faculty to pursue excellence in clinical care nationally and internationally.”
Christine McBeth and UC Davis Health colleagues have traveled to The Gambia annually for the past seven years to offer training and education for local healthcare providers.
About the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 to promote international education and cultural exchange. Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty members, researchers, administrators and professionals who teach or conduct research with institutions around the world.
McBeth joins a distinguished group of Fulbright recipients that includes Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners and MacArthur Fellows. The program has a long history of supporting leaders in research, education and public service.
“The Fulbright Program recognizes those whose work creates lasting global impact, and Dr. McBeth exemplifies that mission,” said James F. Holmes, the Bo Tomas Brofeldt Endowed Chair of the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine. “This award reflects her dedication, innovation, and leadership, and we are proud to have her represent UC Davis Emergency Medicine in this endeavor.”
Earlier this year, an associate professor from the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis also received a Fullbright award. Charleen Singh, director of the school’s Doctor of Nursing Practice — Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) Program, taught across nursing programs in several locations in Indonesia.
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