Previous Blogs (2020) – Gillings Around the globe

My Global Health Practicum Experience During a Pandemic

Posted on June 4, 2020 by nayavill

I was excited when it was confirmed that I would be working with a critical stakeholder in the fight against malnutrition in Nigeria, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). I looked forward to traveling to field offices and communities to witness first-hand the implementation of programs targeted at tackling malnutrition in Nigeria, particularly among children aged 5 years and below. This excitement was cut short due to the unprecedented occurrence of COVID-19 pandemic and the social restrictions it brought on the global community – many have referred to this phenomenon as the “new normal”. For now, I will have to be contented with virtual interaction until travel restrictions are eased.

Prior to the start of my practicum, my travel tickets were canceled as a result of border closures. Adjustments were made to accommodate remote work hours before the reopening of borders. These unprecedented times give a literal meaning to the word “global” in my opinion. It is interesting to see how the world can be affected by a viral outbreak in a city. It demonstrates how the world is connected and makes it look somewhat “small”.

State nutrition officers of NPHCDA meet to review plans on improving Vitamin A supplementation in children under five across the 36 states in Nigeria.

Despite the work changes imposed on us by the pandemic, I have been able to formally interact with stakeholders working on Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) in Nigeria, thanks to one among many of the features of the new normal called “zoom”. These interactions have further fired my appetite to learn and contribute to the goal of improving nutritional status of vulnerable subpopulation groups in Nigeria. Under the mentorship and tutelage of Dr Nneka Onwu, who is the director of the department of community health services at NPHCDA in Nigeria, I support the nutrition division of NPHCDA. The nutrition division of NPHCDA facilitates implementation of nutrition service delivery at local government and community levels. It works on promoting adequate food supply and proper nutrition through education, assessment, counselling and support, community sensitization and mobilization.

I am thankful that I can still learn and support this ongoing program in Nigeria aimed at improving child health despite the challenging times. Interestingly, I always look forward to waking up very early due to the time difference, to attend zoom meetings. It is encouraging and really inspiring to see the passion to improve child health from the technical officers, program managers and other participants.

Even as we adapt to the new normal, I am encouraged by the knowledge that I am not alone and we are all in this together.

Stay safe!

Maureen

Using a Pandemic to Prevent Future Pandemics: My Experience with a Preparedness Practicum

Posted on June 3, 2020 by nayavill

The first day of my practicum started bright and early with a 7 AM video conference. As I logged in, I began to see faces and names of individuals from dozens of member countries and multilateral organizations as we gathered to discuss the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically meeting in person somewhere across the world, the GHSA was having its first virtual Steering Group meeting to discuss how it can tackle its mission to improve countries’ abilities to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats at this time.

The current crisis we are facing with the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis of preparedness, and highlights the urgent need for prioritizing global health security. Too often, our world has amnesia after facing a public health response and fails to invest in the necessary structures to prevent future outbreaks and epidemics. As the world is currently laser-focused on the response and recovery phases of COVID-19, my practicum with the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Pandemic and Emerging Threats team aims to assist countries with making the case for investing in health security at this critical time and setting up sustainable and long-term approaches to public health preparedness.

My coworker Theo, who loves taking walk breaks and resting his paws on my laptop.

As a current MPH student in Applied Epidemiology at Gillings, my professional and academic career to date has focused on using data and information to understand and combat infectious diseases. Now, as we see a global pandemic unfold and reach almost every corner of the world, epidemiology curves are a regular part of the daily news and disease modeling predictions are debated on social media. This has only further fueled my passion for infectious disease epidemiology, as I plan to spend my career improving detection mechanisms and strengthening health systems to better prevent and respond to emerging threats. However, this response has also shown how quickly protectionist politics can interfere with our ability to support the most vulnerable populations and effectively fight a virus like SARS-Cov-2, so I hope that my work as part of this practicum can help further a global, collaborative, and equitable approach, even if I’m working from my kitchen table here in North Carolina rather than on the frontlines of the response.

Kirsten

Adapting to a Summer Practicum in the Midst of a Global Pandemic

Posted on June 2, 2020 by nayavill

By Andrea Mendoza

Like many people, the last few months have been a whirlwind of anxiety, uncertainty, and complex emotions for me. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored existing health disparities and inequities, highlighting the need for public health interventions more than ever. Within the first month of the pandemic, black Americans made up 33% of those hospitalized while making up only 13% of the US population. As the number of lives lost to COVID-19 exceeds 100,000 within the nation, underrepresented communities continue to be disproportionately burdened and impacted by structural violence. There is a critical need to find culturally appropriate interventions that focus on reducing the impact of systemic racism on the health of marginalized communities.

For my practicum, I am currently working with a team of researchers at Duke in the SER (Salud, Estrés, y Resiliencia/Health, Stress, and Resilience) Hispano Project that studies the effects of acculturation stress and resilience on the health and wellbeing of Latinx immigrants in the Research Triangle Area. Research has shown that Latinx immigrants to the United States are generally healthier than the general US population upon arrival, but their health declines over time. However, there is a lack of research on how stress influences this phenomenon. The SER project focuses on generating new knowledge on how individual, family, and community resilience among the Latinx population buffers against acculturation stress and influences both psychological and physical health, thus informing future interventions to improve the health of the Latinx community. I will be assisting with conducting and coding qualitative interviews with members of the Latinx community and producing an analysis report and literature review. As a second generation Mexican-American, I strongly believe in the significance of the work I am doing this summer and the importance of practicing global health work in local contexts.

Attempting to do work with dogs in the picture is harder than it seems.

Adapting to a remote practicum has been a challenge, but I have been able to develop techniques to get me through the day. I rely on virtual check-ins with my practicum preceptor and remote team meetings to keep me motivated and in tune with my work. I have learned to be more flexible as well as kind to myself by acknowledging my own humanity and imperfections and taking everything a day at a time. Sometimes that means I do not have a perfect workplace set up, but being able to focus on the small moments of gratitude has helped me stay grounded. I find it is more important than ever to spend time out in nature, whether it is going on daily walks with my sister and two dogs, or just hanging out in my backyard hammock.