Hola from the Caribbean! Almost 3 weeks ago I arrived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to start my practicum with my fellow classmate, Tiffiany. This beautiful country has greeted us with open arms, and even though our time here has been short, I already feel that I will miss this place.
Parque Colon, Zona Colonial, Dominican Republic
I am Sophia, a first-year MPH student, and an international student from Guatemala. I truly miss my family, friends, and the way things work in my country. Being here has been a breath of fresh air. The colmadones (corner stores) remind me of the tienditas in my country, which you can literally find in every corner stocked with goods and fresh fruits. The food, oh my God! The food is probably the best part! The fruits and vegetables are fresh, and the variety is amazing. Avocados almost twice the size of my hand, natural juices that taste delicious without any added sugar, tostones, mofongo, mangu, and all sorts of prepared dishes that are extremely tasteful and available at almost all times of the day. A place that remains awake into the late night when the air is cool, while people play dominoes, sit outside their houses to chat, or dance to melodic bachata. The hot air from early morning to dawn makes this place incredibly unique. People here treat you like family; they make you feel welcome. In a way, to me, that feels like home. I can note the effects of colonization similar to my country, starting with inequality. I hear it on the streets as people sell whatever goods they can, offering all kinds of services. I can feel it when I ride the Guagua (bus) and the sweat runs down my back in the blazing heat. I can see it in the expensive and luxurious hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners and only a few locals.
The DR team after our first training session before starting to collect data.
I consider myself very fortunate to have found this opportunity with Dr. Clare Barrington, PI, whom I have been working with since the start of my first semester. Dr. Clare´s works focuses on HIV, particularly HIV stigma and the use of PrEP and other interventions to improve HIV outcomes. She has previously worked with populations who have been disproportionately affected by the epidemic, such as men who have sex with men, transgender women, and female sex workers. During my time here, Tiffiany and I will be working with cisgender female sex workers and transgender women living with HIV. For the latter, we will be implementing an intervention called “Gender Affirming Abriendo puertas (GAP)”. The intervention consists of individual counseling, social cohesion, and peer navigators to improve program retention, treatment adherence and other HIV outcomes. For the former, we aim to understand the burden of nontransmissible chronic diseases (NCDs) among female sex workers. We also want to understand how they access care for NCDs through HIV clinics by conducting in-depth interviews with providers.
I am very passionate about research in all its phases. At the moment, I am working on setting up the baseline survey for GAP in REDcap, which has been nothing but fun. We have also piloted the instrument with some of our colleagues here in the DR and will soon be ready to start collecting data. Working with the team here in the DR has been nothing but enjoyable. They are people who truly care and are passionate for what they do, and I am grateful to get to be a part of this team. I am eager to start working with our participants. I have heard of their hardships and struggles, and that has been a constant reminder of why I chose this field.
I leave you with this beautiful sunset on the beach. Until next time.
“Halo” all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland, where the charming cobblestone streets intertwine with the striking architecture. A haven for those who love a wide array of tartans, kilts, and hairy heilan coos (as the Scots would say!), or a place that is straight out of a storybook where the sound of bagpipes mixed with seagulls is omnipresent. I mean, Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn as the Scots believed that the unicorn was the natural enemy of the lion. It does not get more fairytale-like than that! Can you tell that I am obsessed with Scotland already (just wait until you see a hairy coo!)?
I often feel like my journey to Edinburgh, Scotland for my practicum from beginning to end has been full of serendipitous encounters and storybook moments, where the past seamlessly intertwines with the present (very much like a tale straight out of a storybook!). Let me quickly take you to the very beginning of my own story, and you might find yourself believing in your own small, serendipitous moments.
Once upon a time, in the year 2018…(just kidding, I am cheesy, but not that cheesy ;)). Edinburgh has always been a favorite of mine since 2018, the first time my family and I visited. During that visit, we decided to take one of those walking tours in Edinburgh to capture the true ambience of the city, which was a very last-minute decision. The tour guide was a local from Edinburgh. He went by the name of Richard Usher, and we quickly befriended him for his welcoming and friendly personality. He is an important character in this story, so keep this piece of the story in the back of your mind!
My family, Richard Usher, and I in 2018 (ignore the hats!).
I will never forget this trip as I remember thinking as I took in the sights of the city, “Wow, it would be so cool to live here one day.” I would also like to note that at this point in my life, I was not in public health, nor did I even know what it really was (another important piece of the story!). Let’s flip the page to the next chapter!
Throughout the years, we kept in touch with Richard with another visit to Scotland in 2019 and over the phone throughout the pandemic (where I started to shift my path into public health). He has most definitely become a very close family friend! Now, let’s skip a few chapters to when I began my MPH in Health Behavior at UNC-Chapel Hill and when I was finding a practicum in behavioral science and policy.
As I was frantically looking for a practicum, I contacted so many places within the States and in other countries. I really wanted to go to a place that I had not been before, but I was not having much luck. In late January, I decided to message Richard to ask him if he knew of any organizations in Scotland that did any public health work (I was seriously crossing my fingers at this point.). He responded, and this is where the story becomes very serendipitous.
He told me about a public health institute that is an extension of the University of Edinburgh Medical School. Just a bit of history here – this organization can be traced back to Louis Pasteur who was shocked at the public health situation in Edinburgh in 1884. After speaking with two local businessmen, the first Chair of Public Health in the UK in 1898 was created at the University of Edinburgh to lead an evidence-based approach to facilitate public health work in Scotland.
One of those two local businessmen turns out to be Richard’s great-great-grandfather, Sir John Usher, and this public health institute is also known as the Usher Institute with the Bruce and John Usher Chair of Public Health (is it serendipitous yet?).
Richard Usher, Sir John Usher, and I at the Usher Institute
Richard suggested for me to reach out to the Emeritus Bruce and John Usher Chair of Public Health, Dr. Raj Bhopal. I connected with him (I later learned that he did a sabbatical at Gillings in the late 90s –just another serendipitous moment!), and he connected me with my preceptor, Dr. Linda Bauld, who is the current Bruce and John Usher Chair of Public Health and the Chief Social Policy Advisor to the Scottish Government. She is involved in behavioral science research in public health with a particular focus on non-communicable disease prevention and how evidence-based research informs policy (literally my dream!).
I also learned later that Linda works with some colleagues in the Health Behavior Department at Gillings as well (another serendipitous moment). Now, let’s move to the current part of my story!
As I arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland, I was greeted with blue skies and sunshine (very unusual for Scotland). Words cannot describe as to how grateful and excited I am to be here (my colleagues have told me just how infectious my enthusiasm is!), and every day I continue to believe in the serendipity of butterfly effects.
This is where I work. The Usher Institute sits within the Old Medical School at the University of Edinburgh.
The focus of my work is split into two parts: behavioral science projects in both the Usher Institute and the Scottish Government.
The focus of my work here involves collaborating with Linda’s colleagues from the Scottish Government in building and designing a toolkit for policymakers within the government to use on how they can utilize behavioral insights in their work in policy development. Using my love for graphic design and behavioral science, I am ensuring that the content is engaging and digestible for those who do not necessarily have a background in this field as this toolkit introduces behavioral science and will be distributed widely within the government. More details to come on my next blog post!
Standing in front of the Usher Institute sign!
For the Usher Institute, I work with Dr. Fiona Dobbie and her amazing team in behavioral science research, mainly in vaping and gambling prevention among youth. I have consulted with youth in Scotland about their knowledge and attitudes towards vaping as well as conducted literature reviews on current vaping prevention programs for adolescents to inform further evaluation and research on a peer-led intervention. The highlight of this has been going out to a school in Alva, Scotland for a health fair to hand out surveys and learn more about youths’ perspectives surrounding vaping.
The booth at the Health Fair at Alva Academy.
It was a running joke in the office that we got so many surveys filled out because of my Southern accent (even though most kids there asked if I was from Wisconsin! :)) as most of them were not expecting someone from the States to be there! I am also designing infographics and pamphlets for PRoGRAM-A, a peer-led, school-based education program that aims to reduce gambling related harm that Dr. Fiona Dobbie leads. More details to come on this as well!
As chaotic as this story may have been, this practicum experience has further shown me just how wee (or small), seemingly inconsequential actions, happy coincidences, and chance encounters (that eventually lead to lifelong friendships) can lead to a life-changing opportunity, an unexpected twist of fate. I know that my storyline would have been different if my family and I did not go on that tour in 2018…
The End…(just kidding! :))
Haste Ye Back! – Return soon (with a photo of a hairy coo, I promise!)!
Jambo! Hello (in Swahili) from Eldoret, Kenya. My name is Ken Busby and I am so thankful to be in Eldoret for my Master of Public Health practicum for six weeks through UNC Gillings. As a bit of history, I am a pediatric oncology and postdoctoral fellow at UNC and part of the Gillings global health concentration. I will be working through Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to create a guideline to aid the hospital and ministry of health for when children with cancer have fever.
Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital
I have been in Eldoret for a week at this point. I have met so many wonderful people! I am staying at the Indiana University House (IU House), which is about a 10-minute walk from the hospital. I have made friends both at the house and with new colleagues at the hospital. There is a group of medical students, resident physicians, pharmacy students, and consultants (or attending physicians) who are also staying on the IU House property. So far, I have gotten access to the REDCap database which will inform my work, begun to get a “lay of the land” with how things are done here, and had chai with just about everyone in town.
Paka
I am also taking care of a friend’s feline named “Paka” (which means cat in Swahili) as they had to leave town for a family emergency. People here have been so wonderful to help me exchange US dollars for shillings, place the shillings on the local version of Venmo called “M-PESA,” find transportation for longer trips, communicate via WhatsApp, and help me settle into life here.
Nairobi airport (“Karibu” means welcome in Swahili)
My girlfriend, Hannah, is flying into Eldoret on Sunday and I am so excited to meet her at the airport! We are hoping for some time to hike, see the rainforest, and go on a safari to see the “Big 5” animals which are lions, leopards, rhinoceros, elephants, and buffalo. I hope that everyone at home is doing well.
