Global Health Newsletter - May 2017 

Global Health Day

The third annual Global Health Day was held in celebration of the accomplishments of the global health program. The guest of honor, Julio Amado Castaños Guzman, M.D., President of Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) and Chairman of the Board of Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud, gave an inspirational and informative lecture on global health and the medical education and healthcare systems in the Dominican Republic. He also met with leadership of the UVM Larner College of Medicine and UVM Medical Center to explore opportunities to expand the collaboration with UNIBE toward integration of research activities and medical education. The celebration was attended by honored guest Dilyara Nurkhametova, M.D., Site Coordinator at Kazan State Medical University (KSMU) in Russia, as well as several members of UVM and WCHN.

A rich collection of posters, photos, and reflections from global health program participants were displayed, and awards given for noteworthy works. During the ceremony, a newly established award for excellence in global health education was announced.  Read more about the event.

Member Highlights

Moira Barber

I love my job in medical student education. It is truly fascinating to meet young, talented people from all over the world. All those whom I have met are generous, humble individuals eager to have an experience in the United States, and grateful for anything we do for them. Their presence is a meaningful addition to the hospital environment. On the other side, students, residents, and fellows return from their global health rotations in our international sites greatly impacted by the experience, as demonstrated by the stories they excitedly share. Global health is an extension of this exchange.

The coordination of global health scholars is a collaboration between Norwalk Hospital and Danbury Hospital. My main role is in aiding medical students in their day-to-day lives. My involvement in global health began when I was asked to help secure housing for a group of global health scholars. That grew into taking a more active role including greeting them when they arrive, helping them navigate practical matters such as badge acquisition and hospital access, and orienting them in navigation of the patient charting system. The global health program is comprised of many small components. I am grateful to be part of the team that puts it all together, and to have the privilege of getting to know the scholars that we host.

Jessica Huang '17

My upbringing as a Chinese American in New York City shaped my interest in understanding the invisible but influential forces of social, cultural, and economic factors that affect individuals, families, and communities. I wanted to learn about their impact on patients, how to obtain and create resources for isolated and marginalized communities, and the challenges of delivering services to rural and remote locations.

The global health elective in the Dominican Republic allowed me to see and understand some of the socioeconomic and cultural factors that impact healthcare delivery in a country with limited resources, the need for creativity in these settings, the importance of speaking at the patient’s level, and understanding the circumstances and experiences that shape patient perspectives. I was fortunate to work with incredible groups of physicians who demonstrated that in spite of inequality, disparity of resources, and the language or location in which it is practiced, the core of medicine is always patient care.

In a few weeks, I will begin my pediatric residency at UC Davis Health Center where I hope to grow into an excellent clinician with a focus on working with underserved children and families. I will continue to seek opportunities to learn about global health and understand how I can incorporate it into my profession, while focusing on education and empowerment.

Global Health Program Events News

April 12th: Julia Varughese, Clinical Director at AmeriCares, gave a presentation entitled “Fighting Cholera in Haiti: The Anatomy of a Disaster Response” during Global Health Evening at Norwalk Hospital. She discussed the approach to the international disaster from a healthcare perspective, reflecting on her own involvement in the AmeriCares response to the cholera epidemic in Haiti. Dr. Varughese is an infectious disease specialist who was a member of the medical staff at Norwalk Hospital for many years before joining medical leadership at AmeriCares.

April 3rd: Liliya Yausheva, M.D., a neurology resident from KSMU, began her five-week training in the Intensive Care Unit at Norwalk Hospital in early this month.

April 7-9: The 8th Annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) Conference, centered on the theme “Healthy People, Healthy Ecosystems: Implementation, Leadership & Sustainability in Global Health,” was held in Washington, DC. Several members of UVM Larner College of Medicine and WCHN attended the event. A few program members participated in the conference. UVM medical student Janel Martir ‘17 read her essay that was awarded an honorable mention for the CUGH Essay Contest; Mitra Sadigh, postbaccalaureate student at UVM and editor of the Global Health Diaries Blog, gave a poster presentation on the manuscript “Creating a Bidirectional Culture of Safety in Global Health Electives Via Comprehensive Safety Protocols”; and the Director of the Global Health Program spoke about the philosophy behind developing partnerships on the panel “Building Ethical and Effective Partnerships Between Institutions in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LICs) and High-Income Countries (HMICs).” (Photo left: Members of the Global Health Program with Dr. Pierce Gardner at CUGH)

April 9th: John Leopold, Director of the Simulation Lab at Danbury Hospital, traveled to the Dominican Republic for one week to establish research projects regarding safety protocols and to share ideas pertaining to partnership based in simulation projects.

April 10th: The Director of the Global Health Program made an administrative visit to the UVM Larner College of Medicine.

April 13: Dr. Bulat Ziganshin and the Director of Global Health gave a talk at the Yale School of Public Health about their involvement in capacity building in Liberia, Russia, and Uganda.

April 15th: a sad farewell to Dr. Do, M.D., anesthesiologist from Vietnam, who returned home after three months of training at Norwalk Hospital. (Photo right: Dr. Do, M.D.)

April 19th: Dr. Mariah McNamara and Audree Frey, Coordinator of the Global Health Program, were the invited guests for a monthly lunch with the deans and students for open discussion.