Join us for the next monthly OGHE Global Health Forum on Monday, March 30 from 12-1 pm in Roper Hall (Room 4302) OR online on zoom (https://zoom.us/j/3111814366?omn=97728086196). RSVP by 12 noon on Thursday, March 26 for a boxed lunch – if joining the in-person event.
Vorapat Vorapanya, MD,
Pathology Resident, UNC Global Health Scholar
From Specimen to Diagnosis: Identifying Gaps in Anatomic Pathology Services at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), Malawi
Abstract: Delivering timely and accurate anatomic pathology services is foundational to high-quality cancer care, yet workflow inefficiencies and resource constraints significantly limit diagnostic capacity in many low-resource settings. This talk presents a ongoing project of workflow analysis and needs assessment conducted at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe, Malawi, aimed at identifying system gaps, and opportunities for sustainable improvement in anatomic pathology services. Using direct observation, stakeholder interviews, and process mapping, we evaluated the journey of specimens from collection to final diagnosis. Key findings highlighted challenges including workforce shortages, supply chain instability, equipment, prolonged turnaround times, and fragmented communication systems. Beyond operational barriers, the project revealed critical structural vulnerabilities such as inconsistent infrastructure that directly affect diagnostic reliability and patient care. This presentation will be valuable for clinicians, researchers, and global health practitioners interested in health systems strengthening, implementation science, and diagnostic equity.
Bio: Dr. Vorapanya is currently a fourth-year pathology resident in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UNC with an interest in Hematopathology and Molecular Pathology. She graduated from Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University in Bangkok. She completed three-year government service in both rural and suburban area in Thailand prior to obtaining her Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC. Most of her research focused on health system performance, especially in low- and middle- income countries and Implementation Science. Previously, Dr. Vorapanya and her team developed implementation tools to help delivering holistic mental health service in Madhya Pradesh, India. She determines to integrate her background in global health and health system research into the field of pathology.
As a global health scholar, she worked with Dr. Amy Brownlee, Assistant Professor of Pathology at UNC and Dr. Tamiwe Tomoka, a Malawian pathologist, a co-Director of the UNC Project-Malawi Cancer Program and a lead pathologist for Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) Pathology Laboratory. After completion of residency, Dr. Vorapanya will pursue a Hematopathology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she plans to continue advancing her work in global pathology research.