Cultivating a bias towards action in global health
Reduce maternal mortality. Improve access to health care for the poor and underserved. Eliminate pediatric AIDS. The problems we work on can be daunting – they are big, messy, and complex. There is no clear way forward, no tried and true recipe for what works. Take for example, the elimination of pediatric AIDS, the mission […]
Discovering Boston’s Medical Mecca
As I stood in the middle of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston, I can’t help but be amazed by it all. There I was, right at the heart of what is known as the “medical mecca” of Massachusetts, staring at the very structures famous the world over for innovations in the field […]
Global health starts with illicit drug-free communities: anti-drug abuse awareness session in a rural Rwandan primary school
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), every year an estimated 210 millions of people use illicit drugs, with almost 200,000 of them dying annually. Drug abuse and drug trafficking are not only a health threat, but also threaten global stability and socio-economic development across the world. The UNODC leads global […]
“Reverse Innovation” – The Co-Fellow Experience
As I bid goodbye to the Africa-bound American fellows after our orientation at Yale, I have to admit I felt a tinge of jealousy. I thought of the exciting and challenging experiences they would have in a new country, and questioned my decision to stay in Boston, where I had lived for the past four […]
“Animal Farm” in Global Health
One of the most interesting things I have come to confirm during my fellowship (either through sifting through literature or attending stakemeetings) is that “animal farm” also exists even in public health. It even makes me read “the rage against the machine” article even more. When one hears the words structural violence, one quickly jumps […]
From the South Bronx to Radio City
I never thought I would have to adjust to living in New York City. Having grown up in the tri-state area and spent the last year living in South America, I saw my GHC placement in the city as coming home. What did worry me was that aside from a couple of stints as a […]
I Talk About Condoms Too Much
Of all the things I thought I would be doing in Rwanda, selling condoms was not one. Through my work with Population Services International (PSI), I’ve been engaged at the forefront of condom marketing and sales across the country. As one of its major initiatives, PSI works to fill a crucial gap in the Rwandan […]