The 2014 Summer Research Program in Global Health (SRPGH), from the Global Health Center at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis offered eight students (from undergraduates to medical students) the opportunity to work closely with outstanding faculty mentors focusing on global health.
The goal of the program was to expose young investigators to research in a lab or field-based setting and further their interest in global health. The program included regular seminars and opportunities to establish a career-building network.
View the shared Tumbler where some of the students blogged about their work and experiences.
2014 Participants and Projects
- Laura Bliss from Washington University, with Indira Mysorekar, PhD, worked on “Cytological Analysis of Urinary Biomarkers as Potential Tool to Distinguish Between Bladder Disease Subtypes”
- Caila Brander from Washington University, with Sarah Brown, PhD, DABCC, from Washington University and John Hanley, MPH, from The Chadasha Clinic and Children’s Home, worked on “Nutrition, Child Health, and Anthropometric Overview in Port Ploum, Haiti”
- Sarah Bridge from the University of Utah worked with Thomas Cox, MD, Anshuman Sharma, MD, MBA, and Arbi Ben Abdallah, PhD, in India on “Making a List, Checking it Twice: An International Comparison of Safety Culture and the Use of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist”
- Yaneve Fonge from the University of Rochester, with Shanti Parikh, PhD, from Washington University and Cecilia Hegamin-Younger, PhD, MPH, and Shelly Rodrigo, MSc, MPH, PhD, St. George University, worked in Grenada on “Substance Abuse Treatment in Grenada: A Continuum of Care Framework”
- Nneka Molokwu from Washington University, worked with Mark Manary, MD, on “Integrated Management of MAM and SAM in Sierra Leone with RUTF” | Published “Severe and Moderate Acute Malnutrition Can Be Successfully Managed with an Integrated Protocol in Sierra Leone” in The Journal of Nutrition
- Gina Phillips from Washington University, with Sarah Gehlert, PhD, and Lailea Noel, MA, worked on “A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to Improving Breast Cancer Services for African-American Women Living in St. Louis”
- Maria Ruiz from Washington University worked with Amanda Lewis, PhD, and Warren Lewis, PhD, on “Culture and Identification of Reference Strains of Vaginal Bacteria”
- Michael Scolarici from Saint Louis University worked with Jacco Boon, PhD, on “Using CRISPR/Cas9 to Study Host Gene Activity During Influenza A Virus (IAV) Infection”
Summer Research Program in Global Health Symposium
All eight students presented their research and findings at a symposium on July 31, 2014. Director of the Institute for Public Health and the Global Health Center William G. Powderly also offered a talk on “Global Health Challenges and the Need for Transdisciplinary Approaches.” See the event program (PDF).
View the Photo Gallery on Facebook.
Planning is currently underway for next year’s Public Health Advanced Summer Education (PHASE) program, aimed at expanding diversity in public health research, in addition to the 2015 Summer Program for Research In Global Health (SPRINGH).