The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Global Health Nursing Fellowship offered Megan Chiu, RN, BSN, an opportunity to develop her clinical and leadership skills during a three-month placement at Princess Marina Hospital’s Neonatal Unit in Gaborone, Botswana, from September through December 2025. Chiu worked alongside local clinicians on quality improvement projects and evidence-based practices.
The fellowship aims to help CHOP nurses strengthen their abilities while supporting sustainable health initiatives with international partners. For Chiu, the program was transformative both professionally and personally. “I was taught early in my public health training that meaningful global health work must be rooted in cultural humility and genuine partnership,” she said. “My goal was never to transplant CHOP practices to PMH, but to listen first, learn deeply, and work collaboratively so that improvements were sustainable and locally owned.”
During her time at Princess Marina Hospital—Botswana’s largest hospital caring for some of the country’s sickest neonates—Chiu focused on understanding the unit’s workflow and collaborating closely with staff. She emphasized relationship-building as central to her success: “The relationships I built with nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants, porters, and support staff were the greatest privilege. Their trust and partnership made every accomplishment possible.”
One key initiative led by Chiu involved changing IV tubing intervals from four days to seven days after reviewing research with colleagues. The project aligned with evidence-based practice while conserving hospital supplies. “What mattered most wasn’t the practice change itself,” she explained. “It was the trust built along the way. Colleagues in the NNU embraced the evidence and championed the change themselves.”
Chiu also contributed to strengthening nursing systems by working on peripheral IV care protocols, updating documentation forms, conducting audits that reduced severe infiltration injuries, presenting data to leadership teams monthly, improving handover processes for patient care continuity, educating staff about supply management practices like infusion set labeling—and supporting mothers with breast milk pumping guidance.
Reflecting on her experience working within resource constraints at Princess Marina Hospital reinforced for Chiu that excellent outcomes depend more on strong systems than advanced technology: “Resource constraints often reveal what is truly essential,” she said. “Nursing leadership, family partnership, and context-appropriate protocols save lives.” She credited her mentors at CHOP as well as neonatal staff in Botswana for shaping her perspective: “Their resilience…shaped me far more than any single project,” she reflected.
The fellowship continues its mission of building ethical partnerships worldwide while fostering mutual learning among nurses across continents.
