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Edemariam Tsega

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Edemariam Tsega
FAAS FTWAS
እደማርያም ፀጋ
Born
Edemariam Tsega Teshale

(1938-07-07)7 July 1938
Gondar, Occupied Ethiopia, Italian East Africa
Died1 January 2018(2018-01-01) (aged 79)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship
  • Ethiopia
  • Canada
Occupation(s)Physician and educator
Children4, including Aida Edemariam
Awards
  • Order of the Blue Nile
  • Rockefeller Foundation's Research Fellowship
  • Distinguished Scientist Award, AAU
  • Bikila Award
Academic background
Education

Edemariam Tsega (Amharic: እደማርያም ፀጋ; 7 July 1938 – 1 January 2018) was an Ethiopian physician and educator credited with introducing the post-graduate program in internal medicine in Ethiopia. Born on in Gondar, he was the son of Aleqa Tsega Teshale, a respected Ethiopian Orthodox Church scholar and chief priest of the Begemdir and Simien regions. He was trained as physicians earning degrees from the Addis Ababa University (AAU), McGill University, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and later Lund University.

In 1971, Tsega returned to Ethiopia and joined the Faculty of Medicine at AAU, serving as a medical director and internist at Leul Mekonnen and Haile Selassie I hospitals. By 1981, he became the first Ethiopian to be appointed as a full Professor of Medicine at AAU. During his tenure, he was instrumental in establishing Ethiopia's first postgraduate program in internal medicine. Tsega's research primarily focused on liver diseases, especially viral hepatitis, in Ethiopia, and his dedication to medical education and research earned him numerous accolades, including the Order of the Blue Nile and the Distinguished Scientist Award from Addis Ababa University.

After more than two decades of service in Ethiopia, Professor Tsega moved to Canada in 1994. He practiced and taught general internal medicine in Memorial University of Newfoundland and later at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where he retired as Professor Emeritus in 2014.

Early life and education

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Edemariam Tsega Teshale was born on 7 July 1938, in Gondar, Ethiopia[1] to Aleqa Tsega Teshalé, an Ethiopian Orthodox Church scholar and chief priest (Liqe Kahinat in Amharic) of Begemdir and Simien regions,[2] and Yètèmegnu Mekonnen (1919–2013).[3] He received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1961 from Addis Ababa University and a Doctor of Medicine (MDCM) in 1965 from McGill University.[4][5] He then travelled to the UK to study and graduate from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1969. Prior to 1971, he underwent a rotating internship in internal medicine, and Gastroenterology rotation training at the Montreal General Hospital.[4][5][6]

Career

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Returning to Ethiopia

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In 1971, Tsega went back to Ethiopia and worked at the Faculty of Medicine at Addis Ababa University (AAU) as a Medical Director and Internist at Leul Mekonnen and Haile Selassie I hospitals. Later, in 1974–91, he became Head of AAU's Department of Internal Medicine, and joined the Faculty of Medicine at AAU in 1972, becoming a full Professor in 1981, making him the first Ethiopian to achieve that.[6]

During his tenure, Tsega was appointed as Chairman of the Faculty of Medicine Graduate Commission and a member of many committees of AAU and the Ministry of Health. He was the president of the Confederation of African Medical Associations and Societies between 1989 and 1990,[5] and also served as the President of the Ethiopian Medical Association from 1990 to 1993.[7] In 1991, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Virology from Lund University,[6] and was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation's Research Fellowship as Visiting Professor at McGill University. He also became a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine.[5] Between 1992 and 1994, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, AAU.[6]

Tsega also had several appointments and memberships to the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, the Science and Technology Commission of Ethiopia, Ethiopia's Commission for Higher Education, and academic and professional associations.[4]

For 23 years, Tsega worked as an internist and gastroenterologist conducting clinical research with grants from Swedish Development Cooperation Agency, Department for Research and Addis Ababa University with a focus on viral hepatitis,[8][9] acute[10] and chronic liver disease.[5][6] He also taught clinical medicine, endoscopic and laparoscopic to residents students and doctors.[4]

Tsega is credited with introducing the postgraduate program in internal medicine in Ethiopia.[11] He also made significant contributions to the university, including teaching and mentoring medical students and conducting research in hepatology, gastroenterology, and tropical medicine. He also established the Tsega Endowment Fund to support the training of Ethiopian physicians in internal medicine at AAU and Ethiopian hospitals.[12]

Moving to Canada

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After moving to Canada in 1994, Professor Edemariam served as a clinical professor of medicine in the Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and was later appointed Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, McMaster University. He worked as a general internist from 1994 until 2001 in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, and from 2001 until retirement in 2014 with Hamilton Health Sciences/McMaster University.[12][6] He visited Ethiopia several times for periods of one month to teach at the Gondar Faculty of Medicine between 1999 and 2008.[12]

Tsega was the author of The Life History & Qineis of Liqe Kahnat Aleqa Tsega Teshale (Tsega's father) in 2018,[13] and A Guide to Writing Medical Case Reports (Green Book).[14][15]

Personal life and death

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Tsega was married in 1972 to Frances Lester, a distinguished doctor herself.[6][16] Together they had four children, Aida, Naomi, Yohannes and Yodit.[17] His daughter Aida Edemariam, editor and writer at The Guardian,[18] published The Wife's Tale: A Personal History in 2018,[19] which is the story of Tsega's mother, Yètèmegnu.[20]

Tsega died on 1 January 2018 in Hamilton, Canada.[1][21] He was described by the Ethiopian Observer as "a light in the darkness" who will be always remembered.[12]

Awards and honours

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Tsega received several honours and awards throughout his life, including the Distinguished Scientist Award from AAU, the Order of the Blue Nile for scientific achievement from the government of Ethiopia, the President's Award for distinguished services from the Medical Staff Association, the P2P Annual Award in 2004,[22] and the Bikila Award in 2017.[16][4][23]

Tsega was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1971,[5] a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences in 1987,[24] and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences in 1988.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Edemariam Tsega Obituary - Hamilton, ON". Dignity Memorial. 4 January 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. ^ "The Life History & Qineis of Liqe Kahnat Aleqa Tsega Teshale - 978-1-59-907131-2 - Biographies & Memoirs - Book Subjects - by Dr Edemariam Tsega". www.store.tsehaipublishers.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. ^ Mohamed, Nadifa (23 February 2018). "The Wife's Tale by Aida Edemariam review – portrait of a mother goddess". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Edemarim Tsega Pioneer in Medicine". Ethiopian Doctors. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Tsega Edemariam | The AAS". www.aasciences.africa. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Siraj, Elias S.; Darge, Kassa; Tadesse, Yewondwossen (2018). "Edemariam Tsega (1938 – 2018)". International Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 12 (1): 133–136. ISSN 1543-4133. JSTOR 27026542. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Prof. Edemariam Tsega". Ethiopian Medical Association. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. ^ Parry, Eldryd; Godfrey, Richard; Mabey, David; Gill, Geoffrey (25 March 2004). Principles of Medicine in Africa. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80616-9. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  9. ^ Tsega, Edemariam; Nordenfelt, Erik; Mengesha, Biru; Hansson, Bengt Göran; Tsega, Molla; Lindberg, Johan (January 1990). "Age-specific Prevalence of Hepatitis A Virus Antibody in Ethiopian Children". Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. 22 (2): 145–148. doi:10.3109/00365549009037894. ISSN 0036-5548. PMID 2356438. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. ^ Tsega, Edemariam; Krawczynski, K.; Hansson, B.-G.; Nordenfelt, E.; Negusse, Y.; Alemu, W.; Bahru, Y. (August 1991). "Outbreak of acute hepatitis E virus infection among military personnel in northern Ethiopia". Journal of Medical Virology. 34 (4): 232–236. doi:10.1002/jmv.1890340407. PMID 1940876. S2CID 22415896.
  11. ^ ፕሮፌሰር እደማርያም ፀጋ ከ1929 እስከ 2010 || Professor Edemariam Tsega 1938 - 2018, 7 January 2018, archived from the original on 4 April 2023, retrieved 4 April 2023
  12. ^ a b c d Observer, Ethiopia (5 January 2018). "A prominent physician and educator, Prof. Edemarim Tsega". Ethiopia Observer. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  13. ^ "The Life History & Qineis of Liqe Kahnat Aleqa Tsega Te…". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  14. ^ Biniyam L (25 August 2018). "A guide to writing medical case reports (Green book) by Edemariam Tsega". slideshare.net. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  15. ^ A guide to writing medical case reports. Addis Ababa University Press. 1978. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ a b "Bikila Award: Events". www.bikilaaward.org. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Professor Edemariam Tsega Passed Away". www.bikilaaward.org. 4 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Aida Edemariam | The Guardian". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  19. ^ "The Wife's Tale by Aida Edemariam - 9781538502471". www.bookdepository.com. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  20. ^ Mohamed, Nadifa (23 February 2018). "The Wife's Tale by Aida Edemariam review – portrait of a mother goddess". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Edemariam Tsega | AddisNews.net". Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Awards - People to People". 6 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Bikila Awards for Ethiopian achievers". Ron Fanfair. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  24. ^ Sciences (TWAS), The World Academy of. "Edemariam Tsega". TWAS. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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