About Us
Human physiology is about understanding normal function of the human body. It is only with such understanding that we can discern what is abnormal and apply effective interventions to improve health. Knowledge on normal human function provides the crucial foundation to the students of health sciences in preparation for the clinical years and is a responsibility that our department takes seriously and with great dedication.
Thus, with a 5-strong core academic staff with diverse backgrounds in the practice of medicine and surgery, supported by a range of modern laboratory equipment and supplies, the Department of Human Physiology stands strong as an important cogwheel in the process of building competent health workers at the Kenyatta University’s School of Medicine. Our goal is to produce doctors, pharmacists and nurses with the most optimal pre-clinical foundation to confidently take up clinical responsibilities in their developing careers.
To augment our academic role, we are active in human health research. Current active research areas include:
- Investigating the role of tele-health in facilitating reach of specialized healthcare in rural and under-served populations. This study is in line with vision 2030’s quest in healthcare to utilize technology to facilitate healthcare systems.
- A series of studies to investigate human coagulation as altered by colloids and crystalloids of diverse osmolarity, using thrombo-elastography , electron microscopy and routine coagulation tests.
- Understanding the aetiology of childhood stroke in sub-Saharan Africa
- Providing a description, defining risks and exploring relationships  for pulmonary hypertension, Stroke, Iron Status and Abnormalities of Coagulation in Childhood Sickle Cell Disease (In preparation)
To enhance our role, we have developed collaborations with a number of organizations including:
- CISCO systems
- Orange Telkom
- Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital (and by extension – the Joanna Brigg’s Institute and The Cochrane Collaboration)
- International Organization of Migration
We are open to more collaborations and always strive to develop partnerships that will improve on our quality of service and develop our research strategy.
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CONTACT US
Department of Medical Physiology,
School of Health Sciences
Kenyatta University
P.O. Box 43844 - 00100, Nairobi
Tel.: +254208710901 ext. 3300 / 3301
Fax: +2542082257
Programmes
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS / PRE-REQUISITES FOR PEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH COURSE
The department admits undergraduate students pursuing the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree, in their fourth year of study. The course pre-requisites are the pre- clinical courses including Human anatomy, Medical physiology, Medical biochemistry, behavioral sciences, medical ethics, human pathology, microbiology, human nutrition, epidemiology and medical pharmacology
THE TRAINING PROGRAM
Mode of study is full time. The program runs across every semester covering a period of 14 weeks per course. Students undertake 3 weeks of didactive lectures, before proceeding for clinical clerkships. Currently clinical clerkship is done at Kiambu District Hospital, Department of paediatrics. The department has partnered with Gertrude’s’ Children Hospital for clinical attachment to intensive care, the child development center, and their specialist clinics. All students are assigned academic mentors during their clerkship to provide academic guidance and advice.
ASSESSMENTS
All students maintain a clinical encounters log book during the clerkship. Continuous assessments are undertaken during their training, with at least 2 multiple choice question (MCQ) papers and an Objective structures clinical examination (OSCE) at the end of the clerkship. The final course examinations are held at the end of the academic year, and comprise of an essay paper, an MCQ paper, and an OSCE.
