Uncategorized – Page 7 – Gillings Around the globe

Musings in a Global Pandemic

Posted on June 9, 2020 by nayavill

I was in the process of finalizing my summer practicum in early March when COVID-19 began to rapidly spread in North Carolina. Today in early June, I find myself working remotely at my parent’s house in Chapel Hill. To set the scene: the farthest place I have traveled to in 3 months is the Carrboro Food Lion, and I now have “day” sweatpants and “night” sweatpants. And I never would have guessed I’d be starting my practicum from my brother’s childhood bedroom.

Despite the unexpected circumstances, this work has already begun to be incredibly meaningful and I am glad to be working from home. For my practicum, I am working under Nikki Behnke at the Water Institute at UNC, to explore environmental health in healthcare facilities in humanitarian settings. These first few weeks of initial readings and mappings have already opened my eyes to the devastating experiences of refugees- the majority of which are women and children. Their situation will be exacerbated by the pandemic, as lack of clean water and sanitation facilities and overcrowding will heighten the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.

My work schedule consists of a weekly zoom call with Nikki, and many hours glued to my laptop reading literature. I break up my days by going on walks, making kombucha, and learning TikTok dances like a child. While working from home has its own set of challenges, it has given me some real insight and gratitude for my own situation. It’s easy for anyone to get depressed when watching the news in 2020, and seeing the world become a dumpster fire before your eyes. But I am truly fortunate to be safe, healthy, and secure with my family. This pandemic is so much larger than me, and impacts millions more on a more severe level. Black communities who face institutional racism, violence, and have less access to healthcare are especially vulnerable.

The nature of this pandemic has reinforced the interconnectedness of global health, and has stressed the need for global cooperation. Seeing the public health crises of a global pandemic and systemic racism all bubbling over reminds me why I want to do this work in the first place. Finally, it underscores how important it is to take care of yourself so you can show up for others.

Stay safe,

Kendall

Learning to make the best of a virtual internship

Posted on June 8, 2020 by nayavill

By Janet Okraku- Mantey

At the start of the Spring semester, my aim was to secure a global focused practicum. The thoughts of working directly with researchers impacting change through public health research in settings similar to home influenced this. As the semester progressed, we were hit with a global pandemic and chances of international travel gradually faded.

I successfully secured a practicum with Kybele, a non-profit organization, assisting with an ongoing research in Ghana to identify the gaps in obstetric service delivery by assessing patient satisfaction level to care received using survey instruments. I have been tasked with conducting an in-depth literature review to identify evidence-based methods used by researchers to assess patient satisfaction. Additionally, with the help of my preceptor, we will conduct a quantitative analysis of data from previously conducted surveys and compare our findings to those in recently published studies.

Securing the practicum was a bittersweet experience as I was faced with the canceled possibility of having to have practicum in my home country and not being able to be present. Though the pandemic took away the possibility of that experience, it gave room for me to learn to be helpful without being present.

Over the past few weeks, I have connected remotely with the librarians in the UNC Health Sciences Library to identify appropriate search terms to identify recently published literature on various databases such as PubMed, Scopus and Google scholar. I have successfully read and reviewed about 150 articles and in the process of completing my literature review.

I am still bummed I was unable to do this practicum in person in Ghana and get the opportunity to spend some time with family back home, but I have learned through this pandemic to take a day at a time and appreciate things around me.

I am thus grateful for the friends I have here in North Carolina and appreciative of the time I get to spend with them after work hours. We have spent time together cooking, baking, exercising and hiking and having great conversations.

My Remote Practicum Experience During a Global Pandemic

Posted on June 8, 2020 by nayavill

I was beyond excited when I was able to secure a practicum with the UNC Gillings Zambia Hub. As this was going to be my first time in East Africa, I could not help but count down the days. I looked forward to my trip, the practicum experience and spending the rest of my summer holidays with my family (I last saw nine months ago) back home in Ghana. I went as far as checking on flights and almost booked a ticket. So, you can just imagine my shock and disappointment when the news of the rampant spread of the pandemic and the possible closure of the borders was all over. This probably has been the time when I have prayed the most in my entire life for normalcy to resume. I have had mixed feelings ranging from anxiety, uncertainties, boredom, and loneliness. The good news is that I have been able to make adjustment to my daily routines and faced the reality of working remotely from home.

Zoom check-in from my preceptor, Dr. Martin.

For my practicum, I am working with my preceptor, Dr. Stephanie Martin, on the project “Engaging partners and families in HIV-focused postnatal care” in Lusaka, Zambia. This is a qualitative, formative research study aimed at examining the feasibility and acceptability of engaging male partners, grandmothers, and other family members to support HIV-positive mothers to practice recommended infant care and feeding practices, and to continue antiretroviral therapy. This qualitative study employs the use of Trial of Improved Practices (TIPS) methodology, a formative qualitative research approach. For this study, data collectors will need to be trained on TIPs and to counsel women and their families on infant feeding, care, and stimulation, and women’s ART adherence. TIPS involves an interviewer and participant together reaching an agreement on a solution or solutions having analyzed current practices and how they could be improved upon. Participants are given a trial period to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intended practice. I am, however, helping to prepare the documents for the upcoming data collection activities and participate in secondary analysis of qualitative interviews with women and their male partners in Zambia and Malawi to understand the role of male partners in the prevention-of-mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).

Regular check-ins from Dr. Martin and faculty mentor, Dr. Sian Curtis, have helped me stay focused and encouraged. To stay productive, I have a work schedule that I try to stick to taking breaks in between. In order to keep sane, I have been going for walks, visiting the lake, and recently started baking.

Amidst the uncertainties, I am grateful for good health, loved ones both far and near, practicum and the opportunity to be working remotely. I would say this pandemic is a blessing in disguise because it has made me realize that tomorrow is never promised and has taught me to adapt to situations, making the most of every opportunity. A note to my future self would be that “I am stronger than I seem, smarter than I think, and I am capable of anything that comes my way,” because at the end of the day, it always works out!

Doreen