As soon as she walked into the busy emergency department at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) on her first day of pediatric residency, Dr. Tigist Bacha witnessed an unforgettable scene: a senior resident performing CPR on two babies at once while calling across the room for help from the nurses. Around them, anxious families waited for care. The emergency room was overcrowded—too many patients, no triage, and too few beds. Doctors often had to examine children on their caregivers’ laps, and equipment was scarce—sometimes a single oxygen cylinder had to serve several babies. Rather than being daunted, Dr. Bacha was inspired to pursue fellowship training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) through a partnership between TASH, Addis Ababa University, and the University of Wisconsin. Her drive was shaped by her late parents—her mother, a compassionate, pediatric-trained nurse, and her father, who founded Ethiopia’s leukemia society while courageously battling the disease for 20 years—both inspiring her dedication and endurance.
Post-fellowship, Dr. Bacha and a colleague who also trained with her became Ethiopia's first two PEM specialists. They collaborated to develop training materials and immediately put their clinical skills to work. Yet they soon realized that stabilized patients had nowhere to go for advanced care, as there were no pediatric critical care specialists. Recognizing this crucial gap, Dr. Bacha pursued additional fellowship training in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (CCM) while advocating for national Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care (PECC) training programs. After nearly a decade of effort, in March 2024, that vision became reality. With the support of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), the Ministry of Health, and partners from the United States, Canada, Kenya, and South Africa, Ethiopia launched its first PECC Fellowship Program—the second of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative marked a significant milestone toward improving the quality of pediatric care in Ethiopia, paving the way to save countless young lives and offering hope to many families.
Dr. Bacha's achievements are not limited to her role as a specialist. She played a pivotal role in establishing the first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Procedural Sedation Clinic and co-led the first master’s in emergency and critical care nursing and the General Emergency Residency programs. As an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and a Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care physician, she is also dedicated to teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows.
Her commitment to advancing pediatric care extends beyond Ethiopia. She is a contributing member of the African Federation of Emergency Medicine and has collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM). She has conducted training in Azerbaijan, Lesotho, Malawi, and Rwanda. She is actively involved in research and has published over 45 articles.
It is therefore unsurprising that Dr. Bacha was nominated by her peers and selected as the 2025 recipient of the Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Prize in Global Child Health. Her colleagues describe Dr. Bacha as a ‘critical care warrior and medical education champion.’ Dr. Bacha’s commitment to child health truly embodies Dr. Melissa Ketunuti Basselier’s brilliance, vision, compassion, and desire to ensure that all children everywhere have access to excellent care regardless of where they are born.
About the Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Prize in Global Child Health
The Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Prize in Global Child Health will be awarded annually by the CHOP Global Health Center to an individual who has dedicated their life or career to advancing the health of children in low- and middle-income countries. Their work may focus on any aspect of clinical care, education, research, public health, and/or advocacy that advances child health. Their impact must extend beyond day-to-day activities and include inspiring the next generation of global child health practitioners. A call for nominations (self-nominations will not be considered) will be circulated in December each year, with a closing date in January. A prize committee will evaluate nominations.
The prize includes a $1,000 award and certificate. Winners will be invited to give a brief in-person or virtual acceptance speech at the annual Dr. Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Memorial Event.
More Information
The Global Health Center at CHOP has active collaborations in 18 countries around the world. If you are interested in global health at CHOP, contact us via email at globalhealthcenter@email.chop.edu or learn more here. If you would like to donate to the fund that honors Dr. Melissa Ketunuti's legacy through this award, please do so here.
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As soon as she walked into the busy emergency department at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) on her first day of pediatric residency, Dr. Tigist Bacha witnessed an unforgettable scene: a senior resident performing CPR on two babies at once while calling across the room for help from the nurses. Around them, anxious families waited for care. The emergency room was overcrowded—too many patients, no triage, and too few beds. Doctors often had to examine children on their caregivers’ laps, and equipment was scarce—sometimes a single oxygen cylinder had to serve several babies. Rather than being daunted, Dr. Bacha was inspired to pursue fellowship training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) through a partnership between TASH, Addis Ababa University, and the University of Wisconsin. Her drive was shaped by her late parents—her mother, a compassionate, pediatric-trained nurse, and her father, who founded Ethiopia’s leukemia society while courageously battling the disease for 20 years—both inspiring her dedication and endurance.
Post-fellowship, Dr. Bacha and a colleague who also trained with her became Ethiopia's first two PEM specialists. They collaborated to develop training materials and immediately put their clinical skills to work. Yet they soon realized that stabilized patients had nowhere to go for advanced care, as there were no pediatric critical care specialists. Recognizing this crucial gap, Dr. Bacha pursued additional fellowship training in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (CCM) while advocating for national Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care (PECC) training programs. After nearly a decade of effort, in March 2024, that vision became reality. With the support of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), the Ministry of Health, and partners from the United States, Canada, Kenya, and South Africa, Ethiopia launched its first PECC Fellowship Program—the second of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative marked a significant milestone toward improving the quality of pediatric care in Ethiopia, paving the way to save countless young lives and offering hope to many families.
Dr. Bacha's achievements are not limited to her role as a specialist. She played a pivotal role in establishing the first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Procedural Sedation Clinic and co-led the first master’s in emergency and critical care nursing and the General Emergency Residency programs. As an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and a Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care physician, she is also dedicated to teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows.
Her commitment to advancing pediatric care extends beyond Ethiopia. She is a contributing member of the African Federation of Emergency Medicine and has collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM). She has conducted training in Azerbaijan, Lesotho, Malawi, and Rwanda. She is actively involved in research and has published over 45 articles.
It is therefore unsurprising that Dr. Bacha was nominated by her peers and selected as the 2025 recipient of the Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Prize in Global Child Health. Her colleagues describe Dr. Bacha as a ‘critical care warrior and medical education champion.’ Dr. Bacha’s commitment to child health truly embodies Dr. Melissa Ketunuti Basselier’s brilliance, vision, compassion, and desire to ensure that all children everywhere have access to excellent care regardless of where they are born.
About the Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Prize in Global Child Health
The Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Prize in Global Child Health will be awarded annually by the CHOP Global Health Center to an individual who has dedicated their life or career to advancing the health of children in low- and middle-income countries. Their work may focus on any aspect of clinical care, education, research, public health, and/or advocacy that advances child health. Their impact must extend beyond day-to-day activities and include inspiring the next generation of global child health practitioners. A call for nominations (self-nominations will not be considered) will be circulated in December each year, with a closing date in January. A prize committee will evaluate nominations.
The prize includes a $1,000 award and certificate. Winners will be invited to give a brief in-person or virtual acceptance speech at the annual Dr. Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Memorial Event.
More Information
The Global Health Center at CHOP has active collaborations in 18 countries around the world. If you are interested in global health at CHOP, contact us via email at globalhealthcenter@email.chop.edu or learn more here. If you would like to donate to the fund that honors Dr. Melissa Ketunuti's legacy through this award, please do so here.
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