Stories from the Field
The global health challenges in the world are immense. But people at Duke have a passion for tackling these issues piece by piece, community by community, lesson by lesson.
The stories collected here give a flavor of the global health projects the Duke community has undertaken. From faculty profiles and podcasts about research and teaching to student blogs about life and learning in foreign countries, these stories highlight not only the challenges, but the solutions that are possible when people dedicate themselves to serving others.
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October 6, 2009
Duke Medical Student Reflects on Global Health Research Project in India
Janeil Belle completed her third-year research project in India for medical school.
August 25, 2009
Rural Health Care in India Teaches Duke Student about the Effectiveness of Community Development on Health
Duke Senior Anant Agarwalla is convinced there are infinite possibilities of a bottom-up approach to improve the health of villagers in rural communities. He completed a summer fieldwork project, funded by the Duke Global Health Institute, in the heart of Maharashtra, India where he assessed the work of the Jamkhed Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP).
August 18, 2009
Duke students educate Haitian families about safe water collection methods
Two Duke University students recently completed their fieldwork project in the rural town of Thomassique, Haiti where they educated locals about the importance of clean drinking water and its ability to improve public health. Theology major Christina Booth, who is pursuing the Global Health Certificate through the Duke Global Health Institute, says she’s pleased with the results and happy to see more locals start to embrace a safer way to drink water.
July 9, 2009
Women And Prevention Are Priorities For Fieldwork Projects In Leogane, Haiti
Duke University rising Junior Matt Gay is starting to believe that he can make at least a small difference in a world of immense health challenges. Gay and six other students are spending eight weeks this summer in Leogane, Haiti, an official field site of the Duke Global Health Institute. They have teamed up with Haitian student nurses to raise awareness about cervical cancer, a major killer of women in the country.
April 8, 2009
DGHI Announces Global Health Diploma between Duke and Peking University
DGHI Announces Global Health Diploma between Duke and Peking University
November 26, 2008
Audio Q&A with Kate Whetten
One hour audio podcast with Kate Whetten from “Radio In Vivo”
November 14, 2008
Student Stories
Treating Third World Spine Injuries
During Engineering Week, teams of students from the Pratt School of Engineering will compete in the annual Duke Start-Up Challenge, a school-year-long competition that culminates in a $25,000 prize. One of this year’s team is planning to send already-existing medical devices for spinal injuries to Third World countries and make them available for free for patients. The plan is to use medical devices that are perfectly fine but have been superseded by updated models. The device the team is interested in sending overseas is fairly simple and straightforward. It consists of two metal rods that are attached to either side of the spine by screws or hooks. The plan not only includes the donation of the surgical equipment, but the training of local surgeons to perform the procedure.
November 4, 2008
Postdoctoral Research
The Reality Gap
Eve Puffer, postdoctoral fellow in global health, delves into the gap between education about HIV/AIDS and actual behavior among youth in Muhuru Bay, Kenya
October 12, 2008
Student
Engineering Students Deliver, Fix Medical Equipment Around the World
49 students were involved in the 2008 two-month summer program that put engineering students to work in hospitals in Tanzania, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The students fixed old equipment, set up thousands of dollars worth of donated medical equipment, and trained doctors, nurses, and staff how to use and maintain the equipment.
August 22, 2008
The State of Affairs for Women’s Health in Moshi
In the first month after his arrival in Moshi, Tanzania to launch the Duke-KCMC Women’s Reproductive Health Program, DGHI Member Jeff Wilkinson found himself participating in the examinations for residents and medical students at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC).
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