Botswana–Rutgers Partnership for Health (BRPH)
Established in 2018, the Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health (BRPH) is a collaborative research and training initiative between Botswana’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, University of Botswana and the Rutgers Global Health Institute. The partnership aims to help advance Botswana’s national program in cancer care and prevention; create joint research and training programs to improve cancer care and prevention; and create local, subspecialty medical and health professions training programs.
WATCH
BTV's Coverage of the "Go Together" Four-Country Oncology Workshop
“Go Together” held it’s four-country workshop in June 2026. The two-day workshop in Gabarone, Botswana brought together healthcare professionals and oncology specialists from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Namibia.
This marked the beginning of a country-led, multidisciplinary effort to jointly assess training needs, share best practices, and develop sustainable strategies for oncology workforce expansion across the region.
Impact at a Glance
DAYS AVERAGE DIAGNOSTIC TIMELINE AT PILOT SITES REDUCED FROM 69–91 DAYS
MEDICAL OFFICERS TRAINED IN NEEDLE BIOPSY ACROSS 36 FACILITIES
NURSES TRAINED FOR PATIENT NAVIGATION
CRITICAL HEALTH SYSTEM GAPS IDENTIFIED IN OUR NATIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT
MEDICAL PERSONELL TRAINED IN ONCOLOGIC EMERGENCIES
PROJECT ECHO SESSIONS DELIVERED
CLINICS LAUNCHED WOMEN HEALTH TALKS
HOSPITALS UPGRADED WITH HEALTH IT
Our Approach: Three Pillars, One System
01
Workforce development
Cancer Kitso training, patient navigation training, and hands-on biopsy workshops give frontline workers skills to recognize, refer, and treat cancer earlier.
02
Clinical systems & navigation
A structured navigation model guides patients from first symptom through diagnosis and referral, closing gaps across facilities.
03
Research & digital innovation
A national needs assessment grounded every intervention in evidence, while Project ECHO and new health IT carried specialist knowledge further.
Our History in Botswana
From a single fellowship to a nationwide navigation model — how the partnership grew, year by year.
BRPH founded · Global Oncology Fellowships launched
Rutgers Global Health Institute and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey partner with Princess Marina Hospital, the University of Botswana, and the Ministry of Health to launch a year-long fellowship pairing visiting oncologists with local mentorship and joint research.
SPARC Award received · "Improving Cancer Care and Prevention" Workshop held
BRPH, administratively supported by the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, is awarded a SPARC grant for a multifaceted project to improve timely access to care for women with advanced-stage breast cancer, while a national stakeholder workshop sets the policy agenda for the years ahead.
- October — BRPH receives a SPARC Award as part of the Round 3 cohort of 11 grantees for "Improving timely access to care for women with advanced stage breast cancer in Botswana."
- A two-day "Improving Cancer Care and Prevention in Botswana" workshop brings together a multi-sector stakeholder group, producing six national recommendations.
- Consults on the future of Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital at the invitation of the Ministry of Health and the President's Office.
Cancer Care Needs Assessment launched · Project ECHO & COVID-19 webinars begin
A national needs assessment begins mapping the cancer care system for the first time, while the pandemic drives rapid investment in webinars and health IT.
- Cancer Care and Prevention Needs Assessment launched (2020–2021) across all four public oncology centers — found only one practicing oncologist nationwide.
- Treatment of Oncologic Emergencies course piloted through Project ECHO amongst healthcare providers at the Princess Marina Hospital in Botswana, the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School — eight sessions on metabolic, neurologic, and septic emergencies.
- Health Information Technology Assessment of the Public Cancer Treatment Centers funded, equipping four hospitals (PMH Gaborone, Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital Francistown, Sekgoma Memorial Hospital Serowe, Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital Maun) with smart screens, laptops, connectivity, and videoconferencing.
- National COVID-19 educational webinar series for healthcare providers begins — 44 sessions, drawing 20 to 200+ clinicians weekly.
Patient Navigation Program launched · Biopsy Workshops begin
A UICC-funded study on advanced breast cancer sets up two flagship programs: hands-on biopsy training and the region's first patient navigation model.
- Advanced Breast Cancer Access project (UICC-funded): focus groups with patients and caregivers, plus biopsy training at five Gaborone-region hospitals.
- Fine & Core Needle Biopsy Workshops begin (2021–2022) — 42 doctors trained.
- Greater Gaborone Patient Navigation Program begins (2021–2022) — 20 navigators trained (15 nurse, 5 lay); 75 patients navigated; delay cut from 69–91 to 14 days.
- Pathology Working Group formed (2021–2024) with Rutgers Cancer Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center — resident mentorship, later expanded into AI-assisted digital pathology reviews.
Cancer Kitso Training Program launched
A synchronous hybrid course, five sessions over two months plus a final exam — modeled on Botswana's own Kitso AIDS program — rolls out at all four public oncology centers with support from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, offering digital certification to every graduate.
Cancer Kitso Evaluation conducted
BRPH conducted a multi-site, cross-sectional study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Cancer Kitso Clinical Management, Level I training program using the New World Kirkpatrick Framework. Evaluation gathered feedback from trained providers, cancer care experts involved in course development, public oncology center supervisors, and two MOH policy officers..
Needs Assessment findings published · Global Oncology Fellowship concludes first run
Findings from the national needs assessment are published in JCO Global Oncology, the Cancer Kitso follow-up evaluation is completed, and the Global Oncology Fellowship completes its initial run of eight trained fellows.
Patient Navigation Upscale Project launched · Bontleng Breast Clinic opens
The Patient Navigation Upscale Project takes the Gaborone model nationwide, following the same phased playbook that powered Botswana's antiretroviral rollout.
- Project targets all 10 health districts across the country's four oncology catchment areas.
- May — buy-in visits to Sekgoma Memorial and Nyangabwe Referral Hospitals.
- June–July — 29 navigators trained from the Gaborone District Health Management Team.
- July — two Gaborone DHMT medical officers trained in biopsy procedures.
- Bontleng Clinic breast clinic opens as a referral hub for 16 partner clinics — 15 patients screened and 8 cases identified in its first month.
- November — sensitization visits to seven northern hospitals in the Nyangabwe referral network ahead of rollout.
National rollout begins · Seven northern hospitals onboarded
Phased rollout begins at the seven northern hospitals, coordinated by a dedicated Patient Navigation Coordinator based at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital.
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