A Front Seat to Global Health: Dr. Aisha's Keynote

After the interns got settled in their rooms and met their roommates, they walked over to Gaston Hall for a welcome address by Executive Director Marshall Bailly. The interns then listened to a keynote from our Nigerian physician, Dr. Aisha, one of the three doctors leading this week's teaching sessions on the four major diseases the interns will master: malaria, typhoid fever, acute respiratory infections (ARIs), and nutritional anemia.

In this presentation, Dr. Aisha introduced interns to the geographical makeup of the country before doing an overview of the healthcare system. While speaking to the crowd, she showed images of the three levels of healthcare from which Nigeria cares for its people: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Most, if not all, regions of Nigeria have a primary health center, which administers the basic level of care to citizens. At the secondary level, general and federal medical centers can treat more complicated cases that individuals have. Despite having the ability to treat more difficult cases, the lack of a large workforce means that not everyone is guaranteed to see the doctor.

A full day of traveling, coming into a new environment, and getting a brief introduction of what the internship will be about, we are confident that these interns will have a packed week with us. We are excited for it!