I am Ballison Simatimbe, a Medical Laboratory Technologist at the University Teaching Hospitals, the biggest referral hospital in Zambia.
My ARISE secondment experience at Udine University Hospital (Ospedale Santa Maria Della Misericordia) presented me the rarest of opportunities to interact and learn from the best experts from September 2023 to march 2024, a memory that I will always treasure and appreciate.
Work package 3 was my main area of interest, the improvement of laboratory diagnosis and quality assurance systems in sickle cell population screening.
This training saw me move through the molecular biology and pathology clinic laboratory at Ospedale Santa Maria Della Misericordia with special guidance from Anna Rosa Cussigh, Sara Cmet and Dea Tognazzi, the people that keenly and passionately led me throughout my 6 months of the program. I had an opportunity to learn and practice the different molecular methods of hemoglobinopathy diagnosis such as Next Generations Sequencing (NGS), Sanger sequencing, Multiplex Ligation dependant Probe Amplification (MLPA), and Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP). I must state that I had an opportunity to interact and learn from the best. Doctor Stefania Marzinotto was always there to provide technical support and ensured everything was smooth.
One of the greatest lessons I learnt is the kindness of everyone I worked with, and the excellent commitment that everyone puts towards work. I will forever remain so grateful to everyone in the molecular biology laboratory at Ospedale Santa Maria Della Misericodia, my experience was simply the best.
With all activity boxes ticked on my targets list, this secondment program was career-enhancing as well as knowledge and experience rewarding. Additionally, it gave me an opportunity not only to learn, but also to explore a magnificent and adorable place and culture. Udine is a welcoming and peaceful place, with beautiful buildings and Piazzas. I had an awesome time in Udine, is memory will always be fresh.
