Four Students Receive Support for Global Health Fieldwork

Four undergraduate students are embarking on independent global health fieldwork projects this summer, thanks to financial support from the Duke Global Health Institute. Martha Berg, Zoe Bulger, Korrine Cook and Leena El-Sadek will be working in South Africa, Australia, Tanzania and Jordan, respectively.  This support is made possible because of financials gifts from the Bains Family Independent Project grant and the Paul Farmer grant.

They join more than 100 other students from the Master of Science in Global Health, the Student Research Training program and Bass Connections in Global Health who are doing global health field research this summer. Follow along on the journeys of more than 50 global health student bloggers on Diaries from the Field. Subscribe today!

Martha Berg – Bains Family Independent Project Grant
Berg, majoring in psychology and global health, is working in Cape Town, South Africa under the mentorship of DGHI faculty Christina Meade. She is exploring the intersection between psychological factors, drug abuse, and HIV risk behavior in Delft, South Africa. This research will inform her senior honors thesis on the topic of global mental health. “Through applying my past experience and my knowledge of the field, I hope to further my understanding of the global landscape of psychology,” said Berg.

Zoe Bulger – Bains Family Independent Project Grant
Bulger, majoring in psychology and global health, is working in Australia under the mentorship of DGHI faculty Eve Puffer. She is studying the well-being of individuals and communities in regional and rural Australia facing changes in agriculture, water policy and the environment. “My hope is that this research experience will push me to higher levels of analysis and lay a foundation for my career in this field,” said Bulger.

Korrine Cook – Paul Farmer Grant
Cook, an African and African-American Studies major, is working at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania under the mentorship of DGHI faculty Melissa Watt. The goal of her project is to address questions related to the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula in Tanzania. The 10-week field project will identify factors that could decrease the incidence of obstetric fistula in Tanzania, and examine strategies that can be successfully employed to identify and refer women with obstetric fistula for surgical repair at KCMC. The project is part of an ongoing study by Watt on the mental health of obstetric fistula patients.

Leena  El-Sadek – Bains Family Independent Project Grant
El-Sadek, a cultural anthropology and global health major, is working in Amman, Jordan to explore the gaps associated with refugees’ experiences and perceptions of mental health. She is examining questions of access, policy, agency, community and transparency. This research complements her previous studies on refugee issues with Duke Immerse and Bass Connections in Global Health. “I will explore if and how refugees address mental health issues outside of the biomedical system. Are they working? And, if so, how can this translate to mental health organizations in a final resettlement country,” said El-Sadek.