Women’s empowerment: The key to social and economic development
There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women – Kofi Annan Centuries ago such topical discussions weren’t publicly viable as individual’s perceptions were highly perverted and mutually exclusive of today’s situational analysis. Many families, societies and nations at large have failed to embrace the contribution of women towards development. Economies […]
#health2me – The Unconventional Definition of Health
In 1946, it was revolutionary when the World Health Organization declared health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” No longer was health an independent ideology, coming from conventional thinking of health as “sick or not sick,” but instead, a novel view of […]
Tackling research myths within health focused non-profits
As a public health researcher striving to make a real change, I’ve been learning invaluable lessons from working in the non-profit sector. Research outcomes may be too technical to make a direct impact on a population, however non-profit programs also may not be as straightforward as they seem. To understand the mechanisms and processes of […]
The Important Role Fathers Can Play in Eliminating Pediatric AIDS
Cross-Posted on The Huffington Post Throughout sub-Saharan Africa there is considerable evidence that a male partner’s involvement in a woman’s pregnancy and HIV treatment can help her stay in treatment and have a healthy, HIV-free baby. I first learned the importance of male involvement in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV from a […]
All Social Justice Matters
It’s not always easy for those dedicated to social justice and public service to pick and choose which causes to fight for and what populations to serve. There are issues area that we feel personally drawn to because of personal experiences or expertise areas. To believe we can extinguish every corner of the world that […]
Cyprien, Living Proof that Hope Still Exists
The first time that I saw him, my heart skipped a beat. I was in shock. I kept quiet. I searched my colleagues’ eyes, but they had seen worse cases; their eyes had gotten used to it. The first time I met him was during enrollment day on the 15th of January 2014. It was […]
Ubuntu at Global Health Corps
I thought it was just a story or a theory that one American fellow is paired with a local fellow during the GHC fellowship year. It really sounded like a myth, but it turned out to be true when we all met at Yale University for training. Meeting at Yale was a once-in-a-lifetime experience of […]
All The Pieces Matter
This past holiday season, something amazing happened. HBO released a remastered version of its stellar show The Wire. IN HD. If you haven’t watched The Wire, I strongly encourage you to stop whatever it is you’re doing, set aside this blog post, and start binging posthaste. It’s been a genuine pleasure for me to revisit […]
What Carrie Bradshaw Can Teach You About Your Role in Global Health
Most women my age (if I said 25 would you believe me?) remember the Carrie-Mr. Big saga fondly: the she-loves-him-he-loves-her-he-marries-Natasha-etc-etc back and forth that tormented us until Sex and the City went off the air in 2004. Hidden between Carrie’s sometimes painful puns and Samantha’s sexploits were nuggets of wisdom that teenage girls like me […]
“Change” in Newark is a Loaded Word
I came to Newark with many people telling me I shouldn’t. An acquaintance I barely knew, upon hearing that I had gotten a job offer in Newark (that I was clearly excited about), replied with a loud “PLEASE don’t go to Newark,” as if it would personally offend him. Even before I accepted my Global […]