Claire Karekezi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claire Karekezi
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Karekezi in 2022
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| Born | 4 July 1982 Butare, Rwanda
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| Education | University of Rwanda (MD) |
| Occupation | Neurosurgeon |
Claire Karekezi was born on July 4, 1982. She is a Rwandan neurosurgeon who works at the Rwanda Military Referral and Teaching Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. She is very special because she is the first female neurosurgeon in Rwanda.
Imagine, there are only eight neurosurgeons for a country of 14 million people! Dr. Karekezi is one of them. She works hard to help people with brain and spine problems. She also inspires many young people, especially girls, to follow their dreams in medicine and science.
Dr. Karekezi is an expert in treating brain tumors (called neuro-oncology) and performing complex surgeries at the base of the skull. From 2019 to 2023, she led the African Women in Neurosurgery (AWIN) group. She also helps guide the Rwanda Medical and Dental Council.
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Growing Up and Discovering Medicine
Claire Karekezi grew up in Butare, Rwanda. Her dad was an engineer, and her mom was a high school teacher. Claire and her two older siblings went to school in Kigali, the capital city.
As a child, Claire loved science. After elementary school, she focused on math and physics in high school. She did so well that she got into medical school at the University of Rwanda. She became a medical doctor (MD) in 2009.
While studying in Butare, Claire had her first look at neurosurgery. This experience changed her life and made her want to become a brain surgeon.
Becoming a Brain Surgeon
Claire's journey to become a neurosurgeon started at the University of Rwanda. In 2007, she went to Sweden for a special program for medical students. There, she met Professor Jan Hillman, who helped her decide to become a neurosurgeon.
In 2009, she also spent time at the John Radcliffe Hospital at Oxford University in the UK. These experiences made her even more excited about neurosurgery. They gave her the confidence to chase her dream.
In 2011, Claire was accepted into a special training center in Morocco. This center was created to train African neurosurgeons. She worked very hard and finished her neurosurgery training in May 2016.
After her training in Morocco, Dr. Karekezi wanted to learn even more about brain tumors. In 2016, she went to the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She also spent a year in Toronto, Canada, from 2017 to 2018. There, she learned about treating brain tumors and doing skull base surgery.
When she finished her training in August 2018, Dr. Karekezi returned to Rwanda. She made history as the country's first female neurosurgeon! In a speech in 2018, she talked about how hard it is to get surgery in Africa. She said, "I refuse to allow being African and a woman to be a limitation for me." She wants to train more neurosurgeons, especially women, to help more people.
Making a Difference in Rwanda
In January 2019, Dr. Karekezi started working at the Rwanda Military Referral and Teaching Hospital. She was the first neurosurgeon there and performed the first brain surgeries at the hospital.
Starting a neurosurgery unit was not easy. For the first few months, she worked to get the right equipment and train the staff. She made sure the hospital had everything needed for brain and spine surgeries.
Neurosurgery is mostly a field for men, especially in Africa. Less than 12% of neurosurgeons there are women. Dr. Karekezi is working to change this. She wants to help and guide other women who want to become neurosurgeons. In 2019, she became the leader of the African Women in Neurosurgery (AWIN) group.
Dr. Karekezi has led many projects to show the history and current situation of women in neurosurgery in Africa. She points out that not enough women are in leadership roles or teaching positions. She works to improve neurosurgery education and treatment for brain tumors in Sub-Saharan Africa. She also encourages young women to go into STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math).
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Karekezi has received many important awards for her amazing work:
- Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Women In Neurosurgery (WINS) Greg Wilkins-Barrick Chair Visiting International Surgeon Award (2013).
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) International Visiting Surgeon Fellowship Award in Neurosurgery/neuro oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA (2016).
- Shield Maiden Women in Surgery Africa (WISA) Award for her excellent career in surgery, COSECSA, Kigali (2018).
- AIMS-Next Einstein Initiative TTP Women in science ‘First Award 2019’ for being Rwanda’s First Female Neurosurgeon (2019).
- Forbes Woman Africa Academic Excellence Award (2022).
- 2023 Chung International Lectureship in Neurosurgery, Northwestern Medicine, Department of Neurological Surgery, Chicago, USA (2023).
- 2023 Leadership Award, Northwestern Medicine, Department of Neurological Surgery, Chicago, USA (2023).
- NeuroOncology Lectureship, Mayo Clinic Florida, Department of research, Jacksonville, Florida, USA (2024).
- Trailblazer in her Surgical Specialty (Neurosurgery), Women In Surgery Rwanda (WiSR), Kigali, Rwanda (2024).
- Visiting Professorship, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Department of Neurological Surgery, Tampa, Florida, USA (2024).
Helping Others and Learning More
Dr. Karekezi is a member of many groups for neurosurgeons in Rwanda and around the world. She joins these groups to:
- Help people understand the need for neurosurgery in countries that don't have many surgeons.
- Inspire young women to become doctors and surgeons.
- Be in a position to make important changes in healthcare.
Some of these groups include the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Women in Neurosurgery (WINS/USA), and the African Women in Neurosurgery (AWIN).
You can find a full list of her published work here: Claire Karekezi's bibliography
