Klapper Family Gift Invites Investment in the Transformative Power of Global Health Education
For generations of Indiana University medical trainees, an experience in Kenya has changed not only how they see the world, but how they see their role as physicians.
Working alongside Kenyan colleagues through the AMPATH partnership exposes learners to different cultures, health systems and approaches to patient care. They learn to navigate uncertainty, build relationships across cultures and provide thoughtful care in settings where resources may be limited. Those lessons can influence them throughout their careers in Indiana and wherever they ultimately practice.
More than 1,380 students, residents and fellows Indiana University medical students and residents have participated in the AMPATH educational exchange, part of a longstanding partnership that brings together IU and Moi University colleagues in Kenya. The experiences are designed to foster mutual learning, cultural humility, self-reflection and lasting professional relationships.
For physician Jacob Klapper, his own clinical and educational experience in Kenya through AMPATH had a lasting influence on his development as a physician and on the way he thinks about service, resourcefulness and caring for patients across differences in culture and circumstance. Years later, that experience helped inspire him to consider how his family could make similar opportunities accessible to future generations of physicians.
“Global health experiences have a way of changing how you think about medicine, your patients and your responsibility to others as a global citizen,” Dr. Klapper, now a cardiothoracic surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Duke University School of Medicine, said. “Our family wants to help make sure those opportunities continue to be available to people who will carry those lessons into their careers and their communities.”
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That desire inspired The Klapper Family Foundation to establish the Klapper Family Global Compassion Scholars Fund. This endowed fund is designed primarily to support medical education graduates such as residents and fellows across medical disciplines who participate in global health education programs coordinated by the IU Center for Global Health and the AMPATH partnership. The fund may also support faculty when their participation is necessary to oversee resident and fellow educational experiences.
The Klapper Family Foundation has made an initial $200,000 gift to establish the endowed fund. If other donors contribute a combined $500,000 within three years, the Foundation intends to contribute an additional $300,000, bringing the foundation's total potential investment to $500,000.
“We wanted this gift to do more than provide support today,” said David Klapper, president of the Klapper Family Foundation who witnessed the life-changing impact of his son Jacob’s experience with AMPATH Kenya. “We hope it inspires others who believe in compassionate care and global learning to participate. The creation of this endowed fund establishes a permanent source of support for medical residents and fellows that will endure for generations. By preserving the fund in perpetuity, today’s generosity will continue to strengthen medical education and support future IU residents and fellows for years to come.”
The need is significant.
An IU medical trainee can expect to spend more than $5,000 to participate in a six- to eight-week experience in Kenya, with expenses including travel, lodging, medical licenses and vaccinations. Most IU participants currently pay those costs themselves. Many residents and fellows begin postgraduate training already carrying substantial medical-school debt, making an additional out-of-pocket expense of more than $5,000 a significant barrier to participation. The IU Center for Global Health estimates that at least 10 trainees each year are unable to participate in the desired experience because of cost.
Removing those financial barriers can have an impact far beyond one trip or one learner. Long-term assessments of participants indicate that global health experiences can influence physicians’ career choices and approaches to care, including greater likelihood of working with underserved populations and practicing more cost-conscious care.
“These are not simply opportunities to travel or observe medicine somewhere else,” said Adrian Gardner, MD, director of the IU Center for Global Health. “They are immersive educational experiences that challenge people to listen, adapt, collaborate and think differently about what it means to care for another person. Those lessons benefit patients in Kenya, but they also come home with our trainees and ultimately benefit patients here in Indiana and around the world.”
The Klapper Family Global Compassion Scholars Fund is designed to reduce financial barriers that can prevent residents and fellows from participating in these experiences.
“Our hope is that this becomes a shared investment,” the Klappers said. “Every person who contributes can help open this experience to someone who otherwise might not have the opportunity—and help cultivate a more compassionate generation of health professionals.”