The 2015 Global Health Showcase drew a large crowd from the Duke community and beyond
Published October 27, 2015, last updated on August 17, 2016 under Research News
The Duke Global Health community was well represented at the fourth annual Global Health Showcase last night, with more than 150 guests in attendance, including Duke students, faculty and staff, as well as local community members. Fifty-two posters representing the research of nearly 100 undergraduates, medical fellows, and masters and doctoral students displayed their research findings, reflecting DGHI's commitment to academic diversity and multidisciplinary approaches.
Duke’s Chancellor for Health Affairs Gives Opening Remarks
Gene Washington, chancellor for health affairs and the president and chief executive officer of the Duke University Health System, gave the opening remarks. He noted the breadth of research represented at the Showcase—from the wide span of countries in which students conducted fieldwork to the broad range of health issues and conditions the students explored in their research.
“This is a very impressive array of programs and it reflects the diversity of interests among the students,” he said. “It also reflects just how far we reach, through you, at Duke … I can understand why the faculty who are involved in these projects with you are proud of you and what you’re achieving through your research that spans the world."
Washington thanked all of the various partners who have supported students in their global health research endeavors—including family, friends, donors, and Duke staff and faculty. The faculty in particular, he noted, “have served as very generous mentors of our students” in helping them fulfill their aspirations as researchers and as future leaders in health.
Poster Exhibition a Development Opportunity for Students
The student poster exhibition highlighted projects focusing on a range of global health topics from malaria elimination to perinatal depression to obstetric fistula. The event enabled students to receive feedback on their field research findings and offered a supportive environment for them to share their data as they begin to develop the findings into theses or manuscripts.
“It’s important after doing all of this hard work to be able to share it with other people,” said Brittney Sullivan, who’s pursuing a PhD at the Duke School of Nursing as well as a global health doctoral certificate through DGHI. “Hopefully the lessons we learned through our research can be helpful to other people.”
Tony Fuller, 2015 Master of Science in Global Health alumnus and Duke medical student, was also eager to discuss his project with Showcase guests: “We’ve been doing research that has been expanding, and we’re hoping to bring this project to other locations. This event is an opportunity to get ideas and talk to people about the program and seeing what they think.”
Student Fieldwork Photo Contest Winners Announced
Mary Story, associate director for academic programs, announced the winners of the Student Fieldwork Photo Contest. This year, 21 Duke undergraduate and graduate students submitted nearly 80 photos from all corners of the globe, reflecting students’ work in areas such as water contamination to the Ebola response to clean cookstoves. (View all of the entries here.)
The photos were judged by a five-member panel, including an undergraduate global health student, a graduate global health student, a DGHI faculty member, a DGHI staff member, and a member of the Duke Photography team. This year, in addition to the judged competition, DGHI also held a People’s Choice Award contest on Facebook.
The winners are as follows:
First Place
“Trabajo Infantil (Child Labor),” taken by Jaclyn Karasik, biology and global health major, in Santa Cruz la Laguna, Guatemala.
Caption: Children carry loads of building materials up the hill to help with the construction of a home. Child labor is common in Santa Cruz, and lifelong exposure to the hard work of carrying loads often leads to chronic pain and arthritis.
Second Place
“Bones and Cigs,” taken by Tatenda Yemeke, Master of Science in Global Health student, in Cape Town, South Africa.
Caption: The remains of cigarettes and fried chicken bones. Such lifestyle factors are contributing to the rise of non-communicable diseases in South Africa, an emerging economy.
Third Place
“Mulago Hospital Operating Theater Reception Area,” taken by Brittany Zick, Master of Science in Global Health student, in Kampala, Uganda.
Caption: Where patients and families wait for their operations in Uganda's only National Referral Hospital.
People’s Choice Award
“Avocado Lady,” taken by Anthony Saxton, Master of Science in Global Health student, in Madre de Dios, Peru.
Caption: Selling avocados and mandarins outside a bus station in the Peruvian Amazon can be a tough job, but this lady's stand was the most popular, thanks to her sweetly calling all of her customers “mi amor” and giving everyone hugs.
The winning images will hang in the hallways of Trent Hall as part of the Institute’s permanent photo collection.
