by lilyvanbilsen | May 27, 2015 | Blog
Global Health Reveals my True Nature, Not my Third Culture. What drew me to this particular field is not merely my desire to travel the world as a result of growing up as a third culture kid but also my need to answer the call to reduce health disparities worldwide. In an increasingly globalized world, borders no longer restrict diseases.
DECLARATION of one’s major is an inevitable task common to any student following a liberal arts and sciences program. For some, it is – and most likely has been – crystal clear for a long time what major to pursue. For others, like me, panic emerges when confronted with this seemingly impossible decision. How am I, as a nineteen-year-old, expected to know what I want my future to hold? Lo and behold, after much deliberation, I have officially declared my major: Global Public Health.
Dr. Cindy Howard’s presentation slides introducing the field of Global Health sparked some self-reflection. Evidently, this decision reveals my true nature. What drew me to this particular field is not merely my desire to travel the world as a result of growing up as a third culture kid but also my need to answer the call to reduce health disparities worldwide. In an increasingly globalized world, borders no longer restrict diseases. Furthermore, the global has become local as two million people cross international borders daily (refugees, immigrants, and international travelers). As evidenced by the MDG, health is no longer a concern from a national scale, but the only way to progress is indeed through global partnerships.
Having been assigned a myriad of readings including, but not limited to, scientific studies, ethnographies, and meta-analyses, many of my professors claim that said readings describe research that was pivotal in gaining new, paradigm-shifting insights. Similarly, Dr. Jonathan Borak wrote a paper describing five “classic” papers in the realm of public health and epidemiology. In summary, the first article described nine criteria put forward by Hill (1965) that have significantly impacted how inferences of causality from observational studies hold weight. Second, Armitrage and Doll (1954) found that the relationship between age and mortality rates were exponential across various types of cancer, thus providing a foundation of the multistage theory of cancer. Needleman et al. (1979) discovered that “subclinical” lead exposures harms neurobehavioral functions and has a negative influence on school performance in first- and second-grade students in Boston area schools. Results have serious public health implications of what should be considered safe levels of lead exposure. Fourth, Ransom and Pope (1992) found a significant association between PM10 levels and absence rates at two local schools in Utah, providing more information regarding exposure limits for air pollution policies. And lastly, Slovic (1987) summarized a selection of social and cultural factors that influence the ways in which the general public perceive risks. Instead of using quantitative measures, it is important for pubic health practitioners lend to non-quantitative concerns of the general public, bridging the gap of risk valuation between “experts” and “lay persons.” These five articles, in my opinion, could serve to inspire public health students, like myself, as our future research can have important implications in the public health realm.
In the third year of my current study, I am required to write a capstone, an individual research project. Developing a bachelor thesis that exhibits high levels of creativity, rigorous inquiry, and professional production can be a daunting task. After reading Dr. Borak’s article, it appeared to me that timelessly relevant research need not be overly complicated. But rather, important contributions can amount from data that is already available, perceptive observations, and analytical skills exhibiting ingenuity and original ideas. Needleman et al.’s (1979) results, for example, challenged preconceived exposure levels. Similarly, Ransom and Pope (1992) conducted a “natural” experiment in which they took advantage of the closing of the mill for 13 months, providing a control period to study air contaminants. In order to aid the pursuit of knowledge, new and continuous research should be encouraged, as contradicting or groundbreaking conclusions lead to great advancements in the scientific community and challenge previously ascertained knowledge.
Dr. Borak’s and Dr. Howard’s readings have prompted introspection in the context of my current education and experience. Global health matters and is a top priority in the global agenda. In such a broad and multidisciplinary field, the number of praiseworthy research articles is plentiful but more importantly the number of future articles that can be added to this list is endless. I hope to fulfill my duty to add to this ever-increasing pool of scientific research as I go ahead with my academic career.
About the Author:
Lily van Bilsen is a second year student in Leiden University College The Hague pursuing a major in global health with a minor in international development. Her diverse background has significantly influenced the tolerant and open-minded person that she is. Lily has lived in numerous parts of the world including Bahrain, England, the US, the UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and currently the Netherlands. As is evident, participating in volunteering, especially in the developing world, is of great importance to her. She has volunteered with numerous organizations in Cameroon, Tanzania, and the Philippines ans is fluent in English, Dutch, and French. Speaking of her passion in life, Lily says “My international upbringing and school career have instilled a passion for international development. In addition, I have a keen interest in global public health.”
by Team GHEP | May 25, 2015 | Blog
GHEP Blog Showcases Powerful Reflections from our Global Health Interns From Around the World.
As part of its ongoing Global Health Capacity Development Project and commitment to developing the next generation of global health experts from around the world, GHEP enrolls a select number of top-flying students at different academic levels from around the world into its virtual Global Health Internship Program otherwise known as vGHIP.
vGHIP Interns undergo rigorous training using a well-designed internship curriculum. The curriculum, which is tailored according to the student’s academic level, includes rigorous readings, communication, data analyses, program planning, and other activities incorporating the key public health competencies under the supervision of accomplished public health experts. Interns also provide editorial support to the editorial board of GHEP’s signature academic journal–the International Journal of MCH and AIDS.
Supervisors provide regular feedback to interns using various modes of communication including face-to-face (if they are in the Washington, DC metro area), Skype discussions, emails, frequent feedback, and other emerging 21st century information technology tools.
Over the years, we have seen an emergence of a cadre of interns with powerful reflections of their views on global health issues and how they envisage their paths along public health and global health careers. The depth, diversity, and richness of these reflections are outstanding. Sometimes they’re breathtaking. They warrant wider dissemination.
Therefore, beginning in May 2015, GHEP Blog will feature reflections and writings from our interns and supervisors exploring their thoughts and reflections on key readings and projects completed during their internship program.
We hope you will join us by reading and commenting on these blogs as well as sharing them with your networks around the world. We are moving onwards! Join us.
You can also learn more about vGHIP.
About the Author:
Dr. Romuladus ‘Romey’ Emeka Azuine is the founder and Executive Director of the Global Health and Education Projects, an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Riverdale, Maryland, USA. Romey can be reached at [email protected]
by Team GHEP | May 8, 2015 | Blog
Editor’s Note:
It is not very often that we, as public health researchers and practitioners, sit back and take stock of what we’ve achieved–how we’ve changed the world–with our careers and God-given talents. This is even truer for researchers who toil everyday breaking new grounds, transforming how we live our lives without sitting back to trump their chests on their achievements. To take a departure from this, this blog will, in the next few weeks, begin the publication of seven key ways in which researchers in the field of maternal and child health helped to transform the lives of children and families around the world–forever! These achievements are brought to you courtesy of the fabulous work by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) under its new campaign 7 Great Achievements in Pediatric Research. We hope after reading these achievements you will sit back and say, yes, we did! On a personal note, I am so grateful to God for giving me the distinct opportunity to be part of 2 of these 7 achievements. I am so humbled and grateful to all individuals who gave me the opportunity to be part of these transformations of human life, albeit in very modest ways. With tears of gratitude in my eyes, I bring you the first of the 7 Great Achievements.
NO. 1: PREVENTING DISEASE WITH LIFE-SAVING IMMUNIZATIONS
What was the Problem?
Rotavirus infection remains the leading cause of severe diarrheal illness and dehydration in children worldwide.
In 2008, about 450,000 children worldwide under 5 years old died from vaccine-preventable rotavirus infection. Prior to vaccine development, rotavirus caused 20-60 deaths each year in U.S. children under 5 years of age. Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a bacteria that causes many different types of disease in children younger than 5 years of age, including brain infection (meningitis), lung infection (pneumonia), and severe throat infection (epiglottitis). Prior to the Hib vaccine, about 20,000 U.S. children had Hib infections every year, and up to 1,200 children died.
What was the Discovery?
Vaccine research includes developing vaccines in laboratories, testing effectiveness in humans, testing ways to get children vaccinated and reducing barriers to immunizations.
Research into the development of a vaccine to protect against rotavirus infection started in the mid- 1970s. Studies elucidated the effect of rotavirus on a child’s immune system and how initial exposure to the virus protected that child from future illness.
Once the prototypal rotavirus vaccine was created, subsequent research tested ways of improving its efficacy while maximizing safety. Following research and many efficacy and safety studies, the first rotavirus vaccine for widespread public use was approved in 2006.
Studies showed that the most severe infections from Hib tended to occur in young infants, due to their immature immune systems. A multi-dose vaccine schedule was created in order to maximize the protection of infants from infection with Hib, with the first dose given at 2 months of age.
How did the Discovery Change the World?
Receiving the full schedule of rotavirus immunization decreases the occurrence of gastroenteritis by 86% and required hospitalization for gastroenteritis by 96%. Since the administration of the vaccine, the yearly cases of Hib infection have decreased by 99%. Currently, most mortality from Hib occurs in developing countries, where vaccination is not routine.
For more information about the 7 Great Achievements of Pediatric Research visit AAP website.
by Team GHEP | Sep 7, 2014 | Blog
The death on September 1, 2014, of Andrea Kid-Taylor, PhD, one of the most-committed lecturers at the Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is a loss not only to public health, but for health disparities among underserved communities in United States and around the world. It is a sad day for all those who knew her and passed under her tutelage in one fashion or the other. Dr. Kidd-Taylor was a calming voice in the midst of anxiety, and tenderness in the midst of pressure and tension.
My first contact with Dr. Taylor was in 2006 at Howard University, Washington, DC. She was an environmental public health guest lecturer at the HU College of Medicine-operated public health program. In her presentation, she depicted every ounce of a true bastion of public health and environmental activism. At the end of the class, a throng of students lined up to have a chat with her—and I was one of them. For every student that came, she had the same level of mien: an engagement, and presence that was neither rushed, nor frizzled. This was late in the night. This is significant given the fact that she was in Washington, DC and would be commuting to Baltimore, Maryland the same night—a commute that was very long. She made a personal connection with each of the students that she met that night. For every student in that hall that day, Dr. Taylor left a message, don’t stop at the master’s level, go on get your doctorate; public health needs you and the minorities need to address health disparities. And I know I am just one of the students that she touched with her motivational embrace. Evidently, there are hundreds of us out there who have been touched by her light of motivation.
Dr. Kidd-Taylor, an erudite scholar and public health professional, who believed what she preached, will be sorely missed. But we are encouraged by her legacies which will live on in the field of public health. For many of us who moved on to do and continue to do great things as agents of social change around the world, Dr. Kidd-Taylor’s gentle voice will remain evergreen in our hearts. Her gentle voice will motivate us to pass that touch yet to another generation because the work of eliminating health and education disparities in our communities here in the United States and around the world is not yet done. Your comments and thoughts of Dr. Kidd-Taylor are most welcome!
Romuladus Emeka Azuine, DrPH, MPH, RN
Executive Director
Global Health and Education Projects, Inc.
Washington, DC, USA
September 7, 2014
by Team GHEP | Aug 27, 2014 | Blog
As the dreaded Ebola virus ravage West Africa, our hearts go out to all those front line staff that work their hearts off and put their lives in harm’s way so that many of us will live. We commiserate with their families and the West African countries of Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, etc.
I’ve heard in some quarters, and I’m appalled by this, that some people are referring to the different government efforts to stem the virus as scare tactics and scramble. For example, in Liberia, villagers recently attacked a quarantine center and dispersed Ebola patients to the hinterlands. They were reported to be saying that there was no Ebola, and that the government was using the Ebola as a scare to attract foreign funding. This is not true. Ebola is not a scramble. It is not war mongering. It is not propaganda. This virus is killing people.
But reactions and thought like this tell us more: that those who think that programs aimed at increasing knowledge and behavior have saturated the world and are no longer needed are wrong. I have always disagreed with them and cannot disagree with them any more than now. And thus, we need to educate our people and let them know that death is never a ploy. But the Ebola virus in West African nations means more than a scramble; it means life. People’s lives are stake, families will be devastated and communities will mourn—some for a long time for loved ones that were demised by this virus. Ebola is not a scramble; it’s not war mongering. It is more than all these.
About the Author:
Dr. Romuladus ‘Romey’ Emeka Azuine is the founder and Executive Director of the Global Health and Education Projects, an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Riverdale, Maryland, USA. Romey can be reached at [email protected]
