Students Engaged in Global Health

UofM Reunite in Jamaica!

2010-06-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasant surprise for our SEGH team to meet up with the Business School's Emerging Markets Club working on a coop for women's weaving and the Engineering School's Blue Lab working on a water purification system.

Living with the Hagley Gap Community

2010-06-05T20:59:00.001-07:00

So what was it like living with the locals for 10 days in Hagley Gap, Jamaica?

Below are some reflections from our team -

Gap Square.

The square is their version of a downtown, the area in Hagley Gap with stores, eating places, and bars. The music was often blasting (literally to the point where my house shook) during nights and weekends, and families of all ages hung out to enjoy each other’s company. It was the place to meet up with anyone, locals and internationals alike, and a good place to host birthday parties as well.

Swimming Pool.

The swimming pool, or water hole, was a great way to escape the hot sun and interact with the local children. The boys played games like King of the Rock while the girls and boys played Monkey in the Middle. Our team enjoyed heading to the water hole to cool off and gravitated towards one part which reminded us of a Jacuzzi.

Spanish Town Road by Jedi.

This restaurant we went to for our daily lunch is one we all looked forward to for its delicious food and great atmosphere. There were always locals hanging out and Jamaican reggae or movies on. It was a great break from our busy day!

Homestay.

Our host families were great. Jamaican families often rose with the sun and were up by 6:00am. Both families were very flexible with our schedules and were happy to have our meals ready at different times. The food we had during our trip was amazing – fried dough and canned mackerel in tomato, fried chicken, rice and beans, and more! At the end of a long day, we looked forward to going home to dinner and hanging out with our host families.

Fishing.

Fishing in Hagley Gap was available at two nearby rivers. The fish were caught with bare hands under rocks or through a spear. Often the day’s catch could be stored in the freezer for future meals. Our friends, T and Yellowman (both nicknames) impressed us with their diving skills in rushing waters. That same evening, we enjoyed baked fish with jerk spice.

Farm Tour.

Magie’s farm tour was a random and delightful visit. Originally planned for the beginning of the trip, it got postponed to our last day. The team trekked around the farm which had a large assortment of fruits/vegetation that did not seem to be in any order: plums, bananas, oranges, cocoa, sugarcane, grapefruit, rosemary and more. Magie was extremely hospitable, giving us each a sample of every fruit and herbs to go. It was a fun experience eating fresh fruit and traversing through the trees and bushes to see the next part of her farm.

Blue Mountain Project

2010-05-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

For information on the Blue Mountain Project, please visit the following link: http://bluemountainproject.org/

Students Going to Jamaica: Emmanuelle Ravat-Francoise

2010-05-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

Emmanuelle Ravat-Francoise is a dual degree student pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Ford School of Public Policy and Master of Public Health at the School of Public Health. She is also working to a achieve certificates in Global Health and Science and Technology Policy. She has previously attended for a Masters degree in International Relations atSciences Po University, Paris and from Sankt Gallen University, Switzerland. As a global health policy student, her interests include the processes of technological development, innovation, and research and development of bio-technologies, medical drugs, and health programs-- specifically relating to issues of social justice and access to those health services in the developing world.

Students Going to Jamaica: Amelia Foo

2010-05-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

After four years living in the income security of a cushy cubicle job with Deloitte, I finally decide to leave this comfort zone in Chicago for ten days and join my best friend from college and her fellow grad school friends on a trip Jamaica. Not Ochos Rios, not Montego Bay, not Negril… but Hagley Gap- a small rural community resting near the famed Blue Mountains. Away from the white sandy beaches and black cliffs and tourist resorts, this rural community has been the focus of the Blue Mountain Project, which has worked over the years to develop the community by administering healthcare, building infrastructure, and starting up new businesses. Taking time-off from work is almost a misnomer, given that I plan to work on a sustainability project together with the Students Engaged in Global Healthcare of University of Michigan. I hope that my title as “Consultant” in my current corporate job would manifest the skill sets in tackling issues faced in this rural community, and to continue the efforts of the Blue Mountain Project. As much as I wish to contribute to this community, I sense that this trip would more than anything, be a lesson for me- in living the life of simplicity and happiness, and having the hope that better things can happen when we are all in this together.

Students Going to Jamaica: Karen Tam

2010-05-04T20:22:00.001-07:00

Hi! I am Karen Tam and I am a dual-degree graduate student in Business Administration and Public Policy. Coming from a pre-medicine and healthcare consulting background, I came to graduate school with an interest in domestic health policy and management; however, after a summer abroad working in health clinics in rural Rwanda, my interests have expanded to global health. My long term career interests aim to intertwine my experiences and talents in management mixed with my pre-medical knowledge in emerging markets. I am particularly interested in using private sector solutions from corporations to engage the public sector in healthcare. Through the BMP SLP, I want to engage the community and put my studies into real practices to directly impact patient access to quality healthcare services. I will also bring the lessons learned forward to my summer internship with GE Healthcare in Bangladesh. I am particularly excited to be leading this team as everyone truly has a heart of learning and we will be experiencing different cultural, professional, and team challenges together. I cannot wait to see how the next 10 days will unfold.

Students Going to Jamaica: Karen Tam

2010-05-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. A return to love - Marianne Williamson

Students Going to Jamaica: Serena Wang

2010-05-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Serena and I am a recent grad of University of Michigan's School of Public Health, Department of Health Management and Policy. I have always been interested in serving in a global capacity, and am excited to apply the skills I learned in the program! I plan on working in process improvement in the states, and working on operational efficiency for the clinic in a low resource area is a great opportunity and will provide so many insights. I hope that the changes we make will help the clinic indefinitely. I am very excited to live and breathe Jamaican culture for ten days. And, I am even more excited for to hike a Jamaican mountain! This will definitely be a great experience.

Students Going to Jamaica: Juline Chen

2010-05-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

I am really excited to be going on our service trip in Jamaica! I am looking forward to applying the tools and knowledge I have gained from my two years as a Health Management in Policy student at the School of Public Health and working with the local staff in the clinics to find feasible and sustainable solutions that bring value to the clinic and to the surrounding community. I've been interested in global health (specifically capacity building and health systems strengthening in developing countries) for quite some time, and have had the opportunity to do health-related work in Ghana and Rwanda in the past. However, this will be my first time working in the Caribbean so I’m curious to see how my experiences will be similar or differ from previous experiences working in other places. I hear that Jamaica is an amazing place, and I can’t wait to learn first-hand about the vibrant Jamaican culture and people.

Students Going to Jamaica: Jeri Stroupe

2010-05-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

My name's Jeri--I'm a Master's student in Public Health (Management and Policy) with one year left to go. Since I can remember I've been interested in international health usually in terms of what we (the US) can learn from other countries, but have little perspective as to what others can learn from us. What I am hoping to gain out of this trip to Hagley Gap is a further understanding of what their community needs and what I and my fellow group members can provide. I think this will be a huge learning experience for me since 1) I have not worked before in a setting focused on operations and project management, 2) my group members are mostly senior to me and have had experience working in resource-poor communities, and 3) I have had very limited experience in developing countries. What I'm hoping Hagley Gap gains is a more efficient system for receiving medical service groups, more organized medical records, and a steady supply of basic drugs/medical supplies. Most importantly (in my opinion) I look forward to mutual cross-cultural understanding and communication with people living lives incomparable to my own.

Jamaica Service Learning Project 2010

2010-05-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Jamaica Project for the Students Engaged in Global Health (SEGH – a MSA-recognized student organization). We recently received approval for our group to work with the Blue Mountain Project (BMP) at Hagley Gap and Penlyn, Jamaica. Our group consists of 5 global health-minded students from the business, policy, and public health schools in Students Engaged in Global Health (SEGH). The BMP works with the local communities in healthcare, education, and other community development such as co-ops for women.

Brief Overview of Our Project and BMP

The BMP operates 2 clinics with only 1 RN and 1 administrative staff for both the Hagley Gap and Penlyn communities. The only time that the community receives primary medical care is when medical student groups or retired physician groups visit. The majority of our time in the field will focus on developing protocols and an operational efficiency strategy for the 2 clinics. As part of the project, we will working in collaboration with the clinic leadership and local staff to conduct a current-state and impact analysis to create a set of implementable recommendations to improve operations and coordination of volunteer medical groups. There are also opportunities to improve the quality and access of healthcare by standardizing practices, decreasing hassle factors, decreasing costs, and thus, improving community health. A part of our time will also be spent talking with local staff to better understand their concerns regarding operational issues at the health center, and working with them to design and implement a set of recommendations.

We are going to be working with the medical students (the main stakeholders) to find a feasible strategy that will implemented for BMP and beneficial to BMP and the surrounding community. This project is designed to be high-impact and actionable – not merely a report that will describe the ideal to BMP.

In addition, this project was designed with the support of the Blue Mountain Project, and we aim to collaborate with those at the clinics to implement sustainable changes that will be valued by both patients and health clinic staff. Please see the following page information on the logistics of the trip.

Project Objectives

· Develop an operational efficiency strategy for medical professionals including an evaluation of current-state operations and impact, and a set of recommendations to improve standardization across volunteer groups

· Train 2 FT nurses that are currently at 2 sites – Hagley Gap and Penlyn Castle on above strategy and begin implementation of recommendations

· Follow-up on a water filtration project begun by engineering students

· Teach healthy behaviors to primary school children

· Develop student leadership skills in the field

The group will be departing for Jamaica on May 5th and returning May 10th. We will have a post about our team before we leave and more posts to come regarding different aspects of our projects and life living with host families when we return.

That's a wrap!

2009-04-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

The term if winding down and we won't be having another Brown Bag Film Club meeting this year. But don't worry, there are still plenty of global health videos out there for you to get your fix over the Summer! I just wanted to leave you with a few links to some good ones.

Global Health Council: http://www.globalhealth.org/view_top.php3?id=689
The Global Health Council has a list of links to videos on a range of global health topics -- some of them are ones we've watched already. Check it out, it looks like there are some good stuff (like Madonna interviewing Paul Farmer!)

Rx for Survival: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurvival/series/video/index.html
The video on the smallpox eradication program is located here. There's also a video on oral re-hydration therapy, and various other vaccination and eradication initiatives.

NOVA video archive: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/archive/int_heal.html
NOVA has a lot of videos on health issues available on line. These include documentaries on child health, HIV/AIDS, women and maternal health in Ethiopia, and one that follows a US army mobile medical unit that provides treatment for communities in Iraq. Those last ones cover some issues that don't get a whole lot of attention, and are pretty interesting, but a little intense. There are also other videos here focused that don't focus on global issues, but they're good.

Frontline: Sick Around America: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundamerica/
Earlier this term we watched most of the mini documentaries in the Frontline series "Sick Around the World." This video, which focuses on the US system, is the followup to those videos. Together these documentaries provide an interesting context to think about how Global Health is a two-way street, and how we can all learn from each other!

OK, thanks to everyone who participated in the SEGH BBFC, either by coming to the screenings or just watching on line. Hope everyone has a great summer!

2009-04-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

Today we'll watch another video from the BBC's "Rx for Survival" series. It's about Sleeping Sickness, which infects a lot of people but doesn't get the same attention as diseases like HIV and Malaria. Here's the link:

Rx for Survival

2009-03-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

PBS did a good series on global health challenges called "Rx for Survival." This week in the SEGH Film Club we'll be watching portions of the film "Disease Warriors," which looks at the smallpox eradication campaign in the 60s and 70s (pretty much the most famous global public health effort ever) and a similar recent campaign to eradicate polio.

Stop by to watch these videos about the past and present (and future if we have time!) of global eradication programs.

If you can't make it, you can see these and other videos in the "Rx for Survival" series here:

Sick Around the World

2009-03-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

This week we'll be watching excerpts from the PBS Frontline documentary, "Sick Around the World." Which looks at the health systems in 5 countries: The UK, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland. As the Frontline website says, "each has a health care system that delivers health care for everyone -- but with remarkable differences."

You can access the videos here:

Survival - The Deadly Combination

2009-03-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

This week we'll be screening an episode of the BBC's very cool Survival documentary series. "The Deadly Combination" examines the impact that extremely drug resistant (XDR) TB is having on people and societies. It deals with some controversial approaches, such as quarantine, to dealing with the illness.

Hope to see you there! If you can't make it, you can view the documentary here:

TAC: the first 5 years

2009-03-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

This week in the SEGH film club we'll be watching a short film called "Treatment Action Campaign: the first 5 years." TAC is an organization in South Africa that was pivotal in expanding access to ARV treatment for HIV+ people there. Find out more about TAC here, and view the video (in 3 parts) below:

Traditional Chinese Medicine

2009-02-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

Today SEGH Brown Bag Film Club is screening a short film about TCM. Here it is in 3 parts:

Kiva.org

2008-12-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Do you wish you could give more this time of year but, being a student, you don't have very much to give! Well, have you considered lending?

As the website says, “Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world – empowering them to life themselves out of poverty.”

It's fun! I contributed $25 to a loan for a woman in Nigeria who wanted to open a small pharmacy. They do gift cards, and I just found out that there's a UM-SPH lending team on Kiva that you can join!

Check it out at Kiva.org

Chinese Public Health Posters

2008-11-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

Images are an important tool in the promotion of public health around the world. The National Library of Medicine (part of NIH) has recently created an online exhibition of around 7,000 images titled "Public Health and Chinese Society from 1930s to SARS."

"The collection has a wide range of media presentations: posters, health newsletters, health newspapers, paintings, pharmaceutical advertisements, calendars, children's chess games, jigsaw puzzles on health topics, playing cards on SARS, lantern slides, negatives, photographs, and health award certificates, as well as books and journals. These materials present rich visual representations of public health concerns which were closely tied to the political, social, economic, and even military engagements of China during different time periods."

Here are a few of the images:

"Go to have smallpox vaccination, ca. 1956."

" How baby hookworms get into human bodies (1), 1957."

"Properly cover yourself with bedding during sleep, ca. 1935."

Check out the rest of it at: Chinese Public Health Posters

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa

2008-11-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

This week WDI's guest lecturer, Dr. Sebastian Fries, will talk about the pharmaceutical company Pfizer's new strategy to increase global access to medications. Access to essential medications has been an ongoing and controversial issue in areas worst hit by diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB.

Ministers of Health from across Africa came together to address this issue at an African Union Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa last year. They drafted a paper that outlined the advantages of developing local pharmaceutical industries, and presented a plan of action to make that happen. You can read the paper here: http://www.pambazuka.org/actionalerts/images/uploads/Pharmaceutical_Plan-CAMH_MIN._8(III).pdf

Whether the best way of insuring access to essential medications is by developing local pharmaceutical industries, holding Western pharmaceutical companies more socially accountable, or some other model is part of the ongoing controversy of this issue.

JSI Publications

2008-10-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

John Snow, Inc. (JSI) is an Public Health research and consulting firm that does both domestic and international work. According to their website

JSI builds local capacity to address critical health problems, collaborating with local partners to assist countries, governments, communities, families, and individuals to develop their skills and identify solutions that meet their public health needs. Through management assistance, research and evaluation, education, and training, JSI works to enable agencies and health professionals to provide appropriate services in an effective and compassionate manner.

JSI has published papers on a wide range of public health issues, including environmental health, HIV/AIDS, health care financing, nutrition, and women's health. Most of these publications are available on line though their website: www.jsi.com/JSIInternet/Publications/index.cfm

These publications offer new insights and serve as valuable resources for anyone interested in understanding the issues or doing further research on them.

The "Deadly Dozen"

2008-10-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Creating effective solutions to global health problems depends on a wide range of partners. One of these is the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In 2006 WCS and USAID partnered to create the GAINS program (Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance) to track and monitor avian flu. Since then, the group has started to investigate other zoolonotic diseases that it believes pose a threat to international stability and trade.

“Emerging infectious diseases are a major threat to the health and economic stability of the world,” said Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT3), a champion for the GAINS Program. “What we’ve learned from WCS and the GAINS Program is that monitoring wildlife populations for potential health threats is essential in our preparedness and prevention strategy and expanding monitoring beyond bird flu to other deadly diseases must be our immediate next step.”

Last week, the WCS presented findings of a new report called, The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change. The report lists 12 zoonotic diseases that are predicted to spread into new regions of the world as a result of global climate change. The following diseases made the list:

Avian influenza
Babesiosis
Cholera
Ebola
Intestinal and external parasites
Lyme disease
Plague
"Red tides"
Rift Valley Fever
Sleeping sickness
Tuberculosis
Yellow fever

You can find more information about the Deadly Dozen report here and here.

-Andy Pritchard

The Village Bicycle Project

2008-10-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Many of us in Public Health feel particularly fortunate to be able to combine our passion with our career goals. We are artists and musicians, writers and researchers, athletes and counselors, and we each try and find our own way to blend these talents with the health interventions we develop, hoping to make the healthy choice the easy, and fun, choice. The Village Bicycle Project (VBP) is a a small organization that ships used bikes to different countries in which the average person cannot afford a car. It is a great example of blending a passion, in this case, for bicycles, with a greater public health mission, here, providing the poor with a means to travel long distances, increase their income, and better support their families.

I invite you to check out the website (http://www.pcei.org/vbp/), and use the VBP structure to develop your own intervention that uses your strengths in an effort to combat society's weakness. In Ann Arbor, there are certainly many passionate people. There are also many bikes. I invite you to consider participating in the Village Bicycle Project, and to consider using your passion for global public health to create a VBP branch at the University of Michigan.

-William Lopez

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DRUG COMPANY

2008-09-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Institute for OneWorld Health is a non-profit pharmaceutical company that develops safe, effective, and affordable new medicines for people with infectious diseases in the developing world. OneWorld Health is a new model for GLOBAL HEALTH. They are entrepreneurial, generate unique opportunities, invent creative solutions.

There is an inspirational video that highlights the founder's passionate journey towards starting OneWorld Health. You can watch the short Uncommon Heroes movie by clicking on the link below:

http://www.oneworldhealth.org/media/audio_video.php

-Shachi Khichadia

Medical Tourism

2008-09-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Economist put out a good article on medical tourism:
http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=11919622

Over the past few years, increasing attention has been directed at the millions of American's without health insurance. With all the political debates over the years, we have still to come up with a feasible solution for our country's 47 some million "medical refugees." Yet, in a somewhat unexpected way, one answer seems to arise from outside of our country's own borders – the notion of high-quality hospitals in other countries providing cheaper care. Medical tourism.

This whole phenomenon of medical tourism is fascinating to me as a student who has been told several times that healthcare delivery in the United States is local, and limited to the borders of our own country. Global health has traditionally been associated primarily with epidemiology; whereas, the business of hospitals remains the business of the local. But alas, the globalization of healthcare delivery; here is a situation that must be taken seriously. May Clinic and Hopkins are leading the way with branches in Singapore and the UAE. Grameen bank is partnering with a Japanese hospital system to deliver services to its members. Bumrangrad hospital in Thailand already sees thousands of American patients a year. Deloitte estimates that medical tourism will become a $21 billion a year to developing countries in less than 5 years.

Here's an example. Imagine Harold has to pay $60,000 for a spine surgical procedure at his local hospital down the street. Later in the week he sees an online add from a hospital in Thailand that is offering the same surgical procedure plus a luxurious week on a splendid Thai beach, with top quality service and free food, for a mere $30,000. Sounds good, but it's a hospital in Thailand, how good can it be? But then, he later finds out that the hospital is Joint Commission accredited (the highest accreditation that an American hospital can receive), and in fact, the surgeons in the Thailand hospital seem more renowned than his own hospital's. All of a sudden that deal looks pretty good.

Medical tourism is exciting in that, just like every other industry from auto to pharmaceuticals, healthcare delivery is catching the travel bug – its going global too! But, this is not enough. Yes, medical tourism is benefiting the middle-class, and yes medical tourism may lead to more competition, which may lead to better quality service amongst hospitals everywhere in the world. But, what about the implications for the poorest of the poor? Nevermind the profits that medical tourism can bring to a joint-accredited international hospital in Thailand. Another question we have to ask is, are these hospitals still serving their own people? Are these medical tourist programs simply bringing in profits for shareholders, or are they subsidizing community benefit programs for the local people, who most need services?

Overall medical tourism appears to be a good thing. But it still has a ways to go. First the US needs to start realizing that hospitals are going global - let's go with the flow and stop resisting. Second, and maybe more importantly, let's not forget about those who most need services. It would certainly be a shame if the American middle-class medical refugees brings about a new group of medical refugees - those in the very country that houses the hospitals.

-Derrick Pfeffer

“FRONTLINE: Sick Around the World”

2008-09-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Health care is one of the big issues in the US presidential election, and there's no shortage of differences in opinion when it comes to the question of how to improve the domestic health care system. It's true that the US health system is one-of-a-kind, but the issues that voters and politicians are grappling with – lowering costs, improving quality, insuring equal access – aren't unique to the US. By understanding the solutions developed by other systems, we might be able to find better ones for our own.

A few months ago PBS aired a documentary called, “FRONTLINE: Sick Around the World.” It examines the health systems in 5 developed countries: the UK, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and Taiwan. All of these countries spend less per capita on health care, and still score better in terms of life expectancy and infant mortality.

At one end of the spectrum is the UK's NHS, which is a classic example of the kind of “socialized medicine” that would be politically unfeasible in the US. The other 4 countries' health systems rely, in varying degrees, on private providers and insurers working in conjunction with a series of government mandates and regulations. Each offers a slightly different set of solutions to problems that every country's health care system has to deal with.

Here's the link to watch the documentary and access other related resources and materials (including the above graphs.

-Andy Pritchard

"Making Capitalism More Creative"

2008-09-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago an article appeared in Time Magazine by Bill Gates. With an endowment of $38.7 billion, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has a lot of money to work with. In this article Gates discusses the role of his Foundation, as well as leaders of NGOs, businesses, and governments, in solving global health problems. He writes,

"As a businessman, I've seen that companies can tap new markets right now, even if conditions aren't ideal. And as a philanthropist, I've found that our caring for others compels us to help people right now. The longer we wait, the more people suffer needlessly."

Read the whole article here, or watch the video here.

-Andy Pritchard

This is the blog

2008-08-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the SEGH blog! This is a forum for discussing issues in Global Health. Anyone can comment, so please feel free to contribute to the discussion.