It’s me again! I can’t believe how fast this summer has gone. As I reflect on my summer and my work with UNC Zambia Hub as their intern, I realize all the experience I have gained with literature analysis, dissemination, and writing! In my last blog post, I talked about how I was helping with a systematic review to help identify risk factors for HIV acquisition during pregnancy and breastfeeding in sub-Saharan Africa. Since then, I also started work on the Hub’s secondary analysis assessing the impact of different HIV testing strategies on couples HIV testing. I was tasked with drafting the introduction for this paper which involved researching studies that have tested uptake of couples HIV testing and synthesizing that information. From this task I learned about how integral couples HIV testing can be prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission. This work further emphasized how the health of a child does not only fall on the shoulders of the mother but the father as well. My internship experience, as a whole, has given me a wealth of knowledge and experience working in research, which is exactly what I hoped to gain. More specifically, I sharpened my writing skills, expanded research techniques, and made great connections with leaders at UNC Zambia Hub.
The next step for me will be completing my master’s thesis for my Maternal and Child Health concentration which I hope to write, in some capacity, on the topic of mother-to-child HIV transmission. I also hope to finish my 2nd year in the MPH program strong and graduate in May 2023. From there I want work on research that produces solutions, and then actively implement and evaluate these solutions as it relates to maternal and child health. Until next time! 🙂
Jasmine