Dr. Aminata Sawadogo

Dr. Aminata Sawadogo is an internist at CHU Yalgado Ouédraogo, Ouagadougou's principal teaching hospital and Burkina Faso's largest public medical facility. With 14 years of specialist practice, Dr. Sawadogo manages complex multi-system conditions in a high-volume, resource-limited public hospital environment that demands clinical versatility and sound diagnostic reasoning under pressure.

Dr. Sawadogo's internal medicine caseload reflects the dual disease burden common to Sahelian West Africa. Infectious diseases — malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and their interacting complications — account for a substantial share of inpatient admissions. At the same time, she manages a growing caseload of chronic non-communicable diseases, including sickle cell disease (which carries high prevalence in Burkina Faso), diabetes, and hypertension. Managing these conditions in patients who also carry infectious comorbidities demands the diagnostic complexity that internal medicine in sub-Saharan Africa is known for.

Dr. Sawadogo is one of a small cohort of women specialists at CHU-YO's internal medicine department and has been instrumental in mentoring female medical students and residents. She is committed to evidence-based medicine adapted to the realities of Burkina Faso's health system.

Dr. Sawadogo completed her Doctorat en Médecine at the UFR/SDS of the Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo in Ouagadougou. She subsequently undertook her internal medicine residency at CHU Yalgado Ouédraogo and earned a Diplôme de Spécialité en Médecine Interne through the national specialist training programme. She completed an observership at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Dakar in Senegal, focusing on infectious disease management and haematological conditions including sickle cell disease. She has participated in WHO and PEPFAR-linked clinical training programmes on HIV and antiretroviral therapy management in West Africa.

Dr. Sawadogo provides inpatient and outpatient internal medicine consultations. She is highly experienced in managing severe malaria including cerebral malaria and severe malarial anaemia, which are common causes of hospital admission at CHU-YO. She manages HIV-positive patients across all clinical stages, including those with opportunistic infections and those requiring antiretroviral therapy initiation or switching. She is experienced in sickle cell disease management, including vaso-occlusive crises, acute chest syndrome, and hydroxyurea therapy. She manages tuberculosis — including HIV-TB co-infection — hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Procedurally she performs lumbar puncture, thoracentesis, and guides diagnostic investigations in complex cases.

Dr. Sawadogo has contributed to clinical research activities within CHU Yalgado Ouédraogo, participating in data collection for multi-site West African studies on malaria and sickle cell disease outcomes coordinated by the West African Health Organisation. She has presented case series and clinical observations at the Société Burkinabè de Médecine Interne's scientific sessions and has participated as a discussant at the annual Journées Scientifiques de Médecine in Ouagadougou.

Dr. Sawadogo consults in French and Mooré. She is accessible to francophone diaspora patients from France, Belgium, Canada, and Côte d'Ivoire visiting Ouagadougou. Her experience with sickle cell disease management is particularly relevant for patients of West African origin resident overseas who require specialist haematological medical management during visits to Burkina Faso. CHU Yalgado Ouédraogo is the main referral centre in the country and receives patients from across Burkina Faso and neighbouring Mali and Niger.

Dr. Sawadogo is recognised within CHU Yalgado Ouédraogo as a dedicated clinician and mentor. She is an active member of the Société Burkinabè de Médecine Interne and the Conseil National de l'Ordre des Médecins du Burkina Faso. She has been acknowledged within the hospital for her contributions to improving standards of sickle cell disease management and HIV care in the internal medicine department.