Introduction to Public Health

The interns had a wonderful first day of program with their teams, starting their introduction to the world of public health and learning a little more about  the week ahead. They were lucky to hear from our very own Director, Ethan Rhoad, who took them through the basics of Public and Global Health, sharing his experience working with USAID and global health development efforts in Malawi and Nigeria. They extensively worked through the definition of health, social determinants of health, socio-ecological models and their influence on public health campaigns - some even sacrificed their break at the end of the lecture to dive even deeper into his wealth of knowledge and ask some small group questions.

Once we felt comfortable with the foundation of our knowledge, we went through the expectations and parameters surrounding the Public Health Workshops they’ll create in their teams: an intervention with a community in Bauchi State, Nigeria to combat malaria, typhoid fever, acute respiratory tract infections, and nutritional anemia through prevention and awareness. 

Dr. Amani Yusuf then joined us to teach the interns about Acute Respiratory Tract Infections - symptoms, causes, epidemiology, and treatment options! The interns reflected on their own experiences with the common cold, but also times they experienced more serious infections (pneumonia, bronchitis, etc.). They discussed the implications, then, of the ways in which our physical location impacts our health - when we live in an area with strong healthcare systems, we can diagnose, get treatment, and prevent these diseases with more ease and accessibility than in areas without. 

This afternoon, they’ll listen to lectures on the other three diseases to lay the groundwork for the rest of the week’s work and learn to plaster cast! So far, they have impressed every speaker with their thoughtfulness and the depth to their curiosity.