Maltiox, Pacux!

Claudia

Maltiox means ‘thank you’ in Mayan Achi and is pronounced Malti-osh and Pacux, pronounced Pac-oosh, is the name of the community that I worked in during my summer in Guatemala.

It’s been a little over a month into the new school year and it seems that although my summer internship is in the distant past, its lessons continue to carry over into my day-to-day activities as I venture into my second year of graduate school. Through my internship, I learned that the core of public health lies in bringing people and communities together through innovative ways that empower people to work to improve their own health. Through education, skill development, and facilitation, community members can exercise their ability to identify and prioritize their own needs, subsequently increasing their engagement and participation to improve their own situations.

As second year students, we are required to do a lot of reflection and evaluation projects concerning our summer internships, as well as, preparing a poster and presenting it during a school-wide poster session.  I was very excited to share the stories of the youth and the community members that I was able to work alongside during the summer, but as I answered questions, something felt out of place. I realized that it felt very strange to present by myself, without the presence of the youth, who played a significant role throughout the process.

Pacux Health Project – Youth Participants

I have realized that the future of Public Health is not only in the students currently enrolled in graduate or undergraduate programs, but that the future of Public Health is also in every person that works to improve their community. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to observe a group of youth committed to bettering the conditions of their community this past summer in Guatemala and I would like to take this time to thank the youth that participated.

The youth participated in a process to help identify three prioritized health issues through a community needs assessment. The objective was to reinforce and facilitate community participation by empowering local youth to develop an action plan for a sustainable health project. The youth worked toward the development of a health project addressing Environmental Contamination, Natural Medicine, and Nutrition.

Pacux Health Project – Youth Participants

Maltiox: Silvia Uscap Sanchez, Adelis Mendoza Santos, Patricia Osorio Santos, Illiana Ponce, Sandra Gutierrez, Ruth Noemi Osorio, Gladys Anabella Sanchez, Maria Vicenta Osorio, Marco Antonio Chen Osorio, Samuel Chen Sanchez, Byron Osorio Chen, Karen Melissa Chen, Jonathan Joel Osorio, Melvin Ramiro Quisque, Wilson Chen Ixpata, Arley Adrian Chen Tum, Mardoqueo Osorio Chen, Juan de Jesus Sanchez, and Oswaldo Lajuj Uscap.

Note: Permissions were obtained from all of those pictured above.

Guest Post: From Ine, HMP ’13, on exploring Canada’s health care

Touring 'SickKids' pediatric and research institution.

Linda Sun, a 2nd-year Health Management and Policy student and Ontario native, collaborated with Professor Scott Greer to organize a “study tour” of the Ontario health system in Toronto on March 30, 2012. The day began with a tour of ‘SickKids‘, one of Canada’s exemplary pediatric institutions and research institutions.

The rest of the day was organized by Adalsteinn D. Brown, or “Steinni” as he is affectionately known at the Ministry of Health; he is chair of Public Health Policy at the University of Toronto. We met with the Health Quality Branch and Health System Strategy division of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to discuss the implementation of the Excellent Care for All Act (2010) and Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care (2012).

From left to right: Nicole Jones, Ine Collins, Steinni, Linda Sun, Zoe, and Becca Chimis)

We also had the opportunity to share ideas on patient satisfaction initiatives with a consultant to the Ontario Hospital Association. Additionally, we interacted with current students at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, getting their perspective on current issues in the Ontario health system, such as health disparities, and answering questions they had about the American health services system.

The students, as well as a Canadian doctor I met at UM’s 2012 Sujal Parikh Memorial Symposium for Health and Social Justice, invited me to the 4th Annual Students for Medicare Conference “Medicare in the Age of Austerity” the next day. The conference was filled with passionate discussions with physicians, economists, students, and community members alike about national cuts to provincial health budgets and the political debate on increased privatization of health as an alternative solution with several comparisons to the U.S. system.

Overall, the trip was an invaluable experience and Professor Greer and I look forward to expanding and continuing the trip next year.

Guest post: photos from Jamaica’s Hagley Gap

During the University of Michigan School of Public Health week of spring vacation, four graduate students traveled to the rural town of Hagley Gap in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica. The team consisted of first-years Caroline Kusi and Anna Hing from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, as well as first-year Kate Klein in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology, and second-year General Epidemiology student Gina VanderVeen.

The team was sponsored by the student-led organization Students Engaged in Global Health (SEGH) and the trip’s mission was to work with the grassroots NGO, known as the Blue Mountain Project, to conduct a retrospective study of the health resource and disease occurrence among the patrons of the clinic.

In addition to the completion of data entry, team members enjoyed a homestay experience with families, home cooked Jamaican specialties, a tour of a local farm, helping with after school kids club, and a summit of the highest peak in Jamaica. Included in this photo gallery are some shots of the team during their daily adventures as well as photos of the beautiful Blue Mountain scenery. We hope you enjoy these selections and look for more information about an upcoming SEGH sponsored symposium where we will be sharing the findings of our study.

Positions on Global Health

Josh Havumaki

With the republican primaries in full swing and super Tuesday right around the corner, it is worth considering how the leading candidates would impact global health if elected.

Rick Santorum

If Rick Santorum were elected president, his global health policies would follow in the steps of George W. Bush. Contrary to what you may expect, this IS NOT necessarily a bad thing. Santorum believes that the U.S. should play a strong role in international health. He is the only candidate that wants to expand Bush’s plan for humanitarian aid to Africa which has included initiatives like the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDs Relief (picture from here).

Bono has even praised his strong antipoverty policies. A potential drawback is that his pro-life and anti-drug views may isolate organizations and government agencies such as USAID. USAID has global health and capacity building initiatives around the world.

Mitt Romney

A Mitt Romney presidency would most likely result in a reduction of global health spending. In August of last year he expressed his views on borrowing money to support global health.

“At a time when we are borrowing money to pay for things, I’m very reluctant to borrow lots more money to be able to do wonderful things, if those things can be done by people making charitable contributions or by other countries that are wealthy.”

Even with his implimentation Romneycare, Mitt sees the U.S. playing a lessor role in global health initiatives.

Regardless of political affiliation, it is worth noting these issues as the primary season continues and beyond. Ultimately, global health will become more topical as technology and the globalized economy make the world a smaller place.

Hello from Denver – the 138th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association

Carrie Rheingans

I’m in Denver, Colorado this week for the 138th Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Public Health Association. It’s been really exciting so far, and I’m looking forward to reporting more over the next couple days. This year’s theme is “Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative”. I really like this theme because it very nicely ties together my two degree programs. I’m here to present a poster about the Student Handbook for Global Engagement that I worked on with over 30 students from across campus for the last year through the Center for Global Health.

Student Handbook for Global Engagement

One aspect of the annual meeting I’m excited about is how much social media is being incorporated into the meeting. You can follow the conversation on Twitter by searching the hashtag #APHA10 (and I’ll be tweeting with my handle @crheinga). The two highlights so far were the opening session and the Aaron Neville concert last night. The opening session had two keynote speakers talking about increasing health parity: Dr. William (Bill) Jenkins and Dr. Cornel West. I’ll write more about these activities later, as well as give a recap about how my poster session went and the two U-M networking events I’m attending later today – one for the HBHE department and alumni, and one general U-M SPH reception. Today will be an exciting day!

Dr. Cornel West fires up the crowd at the opening general session of APHA 2010

Aaron Neville and his Quintet at APHA 2010

Emotional Roller-coaster

 

Saurabh Vyas

 

Hi,

It has been a little more than a month since the second-year of school started, and it will be an understatement if I say… it has been hectic… very very hectic.

As I write my first blog post, I had a chance to reflect upon the most important things currently going on in my life. And if you are wondering where the title of this post comes from, then its from the sheer delight and happiness of being involved with the organizing of the biggest HMP alumni event – Reaching Excellence in HMP, and spearheading the Students Engaged in Global Health activities for the upcoming year; and the low-point of this roller-coaster has been a more personal experience which I would like to share.

University of Michigan is a place filled with people from different fields, interests, cultures… But, there is a common string as you find an infectious enthusiasm, passion to excel and achieve something worthwhile. I must say I have been impressed by many people whom I have met, but perhaps the person whose passion for global health really moved me was my late friend Sujal Parikh. An m4 medical school student, he was involved with Physicians for Human Rights, UAEM, UVP and the Center for Global Health, and was a natural leader in the field. With his immense passion, Suj was definitely going to be a leader in infectious diseases research and international health issues. Alas, the news of his unfortunate accident while on a Fogarty International research trip to Uganda, had us worrying for his well-being since past week. And finally the news all of us were dreading came in a couple of days back… The young and dynamic leader whom we all loved, met with an untimely and unfortunate demise. Memories, experiences and stories are all that remain… and over the next couple of weeks, we will be paying a tribute to him in the best way we can… I would like everyone who reads this post, to say a silent prayer blessing for the peace of his soul and well-being of his family.

More on Suj by Center for Global Health - http://www.globalhealth.umich.edu/sujalparikh.html

On the other hand, the HMP department is gearing up for the Reaching Excellence symposium. With more than 480 alumni already registered it is going to be an event to look forward to, not only for networking but for inspiration. The chief keynote speaker is Don Berwick (Presidential nominee as Chief of CMS).

I will share more about the symposium in my next post over the weekend. Till then, wishing you all good health…

-SV

 

 

International Travel Doctor Visit

Carrie Rheingans

Since I’m going abroad for a social work internship this summer, I needed to make a travel health appointment to make sure I have all the vaccinations and immunizations I need to stay as healthy as possible while I’m traveling. I had my appointment last week (my third in five years…) and got my first-ever anti-malarial medication prescription.

As a current student, I have access to the services at the University Health Service (UHS). They have a travel & immunology clinic, and it can get pretty busy during certain times of the year (before spring break and summer break). They ask you to take an online basic travel health training in order to make an appointment. It doesn’t take long and is a good review of water and food safety, sun and bug issues, and what to do in a health emergency.

It’s best to go prepared to the appointment and know exactly where you’re going in your travels. Malarial areas can get pretty trick in some places, so it’s best to know what cities or villages you’re going to if possible. The appointment is pretty quick and includes a review of health issues in the locations where you’re traveling and some immunizations and prescriptions as necessary. My favorite part is getting ciprofloxacin to treat diarrheal illness. It’s helped me out in the past! UHS can also dispense many of the prescriptions right there in their pharmacy.

There’s a price list on the travel health page for planning for what immunizations you might need. If you don’t have insurance coverage for some of the requirements, it’s easy to go to the Washtenaw County health department as well.

$$ for International Internships

Carrie Rheingans

Finding funding for an international internship or field placement is probably the most daunting task of the whole experience. Most international placements cost a few thousand dollars, the largest part of which tends to be airfare. Be sure to talk with your academic advisor and your department to see what internal funding sources are available before expanding your searches.

There are a few steps that you’ll want to take before applying to the various campus offices for funding.

1. Make a list of all things you need to pay for
2. Determine how much each thing costs
3. Transfer this information into a budget
4. Find funding applications, due dates
5. Get letters of recommendation for those applications for which they are required
6. Get letters of invitation from host agencies for those applications for which they are required

Here’s a list of some things to consider for your budget (most funders won’t allow you to use their funds to pay for U.S.-based expenses while you’re abroad, like car payments, rent, etc.). Here’s a tentative budget I’ll be using for my work this summer in China and Bangladesh.

1. Passport/Visa costs – be sure to check WELL in advance if a visa is necessary, to ensure you have enough time to get one
2. Immunization costs – the University Health Service at U-M can help you determine this
3. Housing in your host country – will it be provided? Apartment? University housing? Living with a friend/family member? Host family?
4. Transportation in your host country – will you travel inside the country? What’s your daily commute?
5. Airfare to/from your destination – check a variety of locations to get a good average, and be prepared for it to change as the departure date gets closer.
6. Food in your host country – will you be eating out all the time? Cooking at home? Can you pay a flat rate, like if you’re with a host family or in university housing?
7. Internet/Phone in your host country – many students find it comforting to buy a local cell phone; check prices and how much minutes/plans cost. Will you be paying separately for internet at your host agency/home?
8. Allowable internship/project costs – some funders allow you to include this, some don’t. Will you need to make copies? Buy disposable cameras? Pay for an interpreter? Pay for your internet use?

There are many places on campus that provide funding, and if you decide to apply to many, it might be helpful to create a spreadsheet to keep all the requirements straight! Here’s what I’m using for my summer work in China and Bangladesh as an example (beware – this spreadsheet is a bit ugly with the long links…).

1. your home department in SPH
2. Center for Global Health
3. International Institute
4. International Center
5. Ross School of Business
6. School of Social Work
7. Ginsberg Center for Community Service & Learning
8. Nonprofit and Public Management Center

Please leave comments about your experiences with finding funding or with suggestions of additional places to look. We’re all in this together – although it may seem like we’re competing, consider the fact that we’re all going to be colleagues shortly and we’ll all benefit from working with the best-trained colleagues we can possibly have!

Leave any tips you have for others in the comments below!!

World AIDS Day 2009

Carrie Rheingans

Today is World AIDS Day: a day where 5,500 people will die of AIDS and 8,200 more will become infected with HIV – 152 of them in the United States of America. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS just released a report that says that AIDS is the leading cause of death globally in women of reproductive age. We know that HIV is a worldwide crisis, already devastating countries across the globe and poised to ravage others… unless we continue to work to stop AIDS. If you’re a regular blog reader, you know I’m not a person who just spews statistics; you know I like action (see previous posts about work with youth in the USA, youth in Peru, outreach in the USA and Peru, and advocacy). So for this World AIDS Day, I want to share with you some things you can do to help stop AIDS.

1. Volunteer in your local community. The HIV/AIDS Resource Center is Ann Arbor’s local AIDS service organization and is always accepting volunteers. You can also contact the Washtenaw Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (WIHAN) to volunteer. You can find non-governmental organizations around the world in the Global South through the International AIDS Alliance.
2. Educate yourself and spread your knowledge. Correct myths and discriminatory and stigmatizing language when  you hear it. Good resources: UNAIDS - Kaiser Family Foundation – CDC - MDCH - Avert – AIDS.gov – google.org
3. Get yourself tested for HIV. Free testing is offered all week in the local community (see complete listing here), or you can text your zip code to “KNOWIT” (566948) to find a local testing site.
   

   KNOW YOUR STATUS!

4. Support organizations serving people living with HIV by donating directly to them rather than buying some product that only contributes a minuscule portion of its profits. Your donation goes further when it goes directly to the organization.
5. Write a letter to the editor of your local media source, call into radio stations, and send emails to friends, family and colleagues with things people can do. Describe the epidemic in your local community and challenge people to act. Call on elected officials to fund important services that keep people alive.
6. Attend World AIDS Day and World AIDS Week educational  and action events near you. The Ann Arbor area has many events going on this week – see a complete listing on the World AIDS Week website.
7. Be creative and use your skills to make a difference in your community!

 

Carrie in front of the AIDS memorial in Durban, South Africa

Finding an International Field Experience or Internship

Carrie Rheingans

I learned a lot during the process of finding my international field experience/internship in Peru last year. Although most funding sources don’t require you to submit applications until January and February, it’s a good idea to start looking for international placement options now (November). Most public health departments require an internship, and some programs require an international internship. I’ll be doing a social work internship in China and Bangladesh this summer. The Office of Global Activities at the School of Social Work has some programs that students can apply to, which is how I found the internship in China. I found the internship in Bangladesh through a friend whose family works in the field of microfinance in Dhaka. The organization is the Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women. I’ve communicated a couple times via email and Skype with my Bangladeshi preceptor/supervisor, and we’ve determined the main projects I’ll be working on.

Some steps for finding an international internship (NOT necessarily in any specific order):

• Think about what skills you want to learn or develop. You can base this on your department’s competencies, theories you learned in class that you now want practical knowledge of, or skills outside your academic training – maybe skills outside your department. Your internship is supposed to be the practical/skill-based portion of your academic degree.
• Think about a region or culture you’d like to learn more about. Do you see yourself working in a specific region upon graduation? Do you have language skills you want to develop – or do you want to learn a new language? Do you need a placement in which you can speak English? Remember that while it’s summer in Michigan, it’s winter in the southern hemisphere. Consider major holidays that take place in certain regions of the world – for example, Ramadan will start either 11 or 12 August, depending on the exact location. This could affect your internship in some countries.
• Think about what contacts you have in global locations – family, friends, colleagues. Your professors are a major asset here, and from my experience, they want to help you, so contact them! Talk to your adviser about his/her specialty/ies and see what suggestions s/he has. Contact speakers you might have heard and found interesting on campus.
• Visit the many campus offices and websites (many listed below) that might have any contacts. Consider working through a volunteer organization (though these often aren’t as flexible for academic purposes and have set programs to offer).
• Consider your budget and the amount of time you will be able to spend applying for campus and other funding. Most students get mostly funded, but it does take time to apply. I’ll write another post later about funding your international field experience/internship.
• Contact potential international sites. Discuss with them what you are hoping to gain from your experience and what you hope you can contribute to their organization. Remember to be patient and flexible when contacting potential sites. Also remember to be mindful that the skills you want to develop may not be feasible at some organizations. For example, some organizations may not have computers with SPSS – or even have computers!

Students who’ve already done international internships, please leave other tips below in the comments. Students seeking international internships, please leave questions below in the comments!

Some Potential Resources:

• U-M Center for Global Health
• U-M International Institute
• U-M International Center
• SPH Career Services
• SPH student group Students Engaged in Global Health – blog
• Field Experience Office in Health Behavior and Health Education – contact Armando Matiz
• Global Health Field Experience
• Health Behavior and Health Education Competencies
• Practice Office preparedness competencies
• Global Health in Health Management and Policy
• Examples of previous international internships in Health Management and Policy (scroll to the bottom)
• Public Health Genetics Internships
• Department of Epidemiology International Health Program
• Center for Global Health Research and Training Internship and Research Placements