3rd Annual VCU Global Health Showcase Recap

Dr. Kerkering speaking on the West Africa Ebola outbreak

Today was VCU's 3rd Annual Global Health Showcase, an opportunity for people around VCU and the greater Richmond community to share and discuss global health projects.

With Dr. Bearman and GH2DP residents and students

The day started with a keynote presentation from Dr. Thomas Kerkering on his work treating Ebola patients in West Africa. Dr. Kerkering is a VCU alumnus and his talk was both moving and compelling. He showed excerpts from a documentary on the early days of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa (this documentary can be found here).

Subsequently there were several 'break-out'
sessions: one discussing getting involved in global health research, one focused on training opportunities for medical students and residents and one focused on providing healthcare in resource-limited settings.

Viewing posters

There was an excellent poster section exploring global-health related research from around VCU. VCU's Global Health & Health Disparities Program was well represented with our students and residents presenting seven different projects.

The day ended with an excellent session focused on some of the ethical challenges of getting involved in global health work.

With Dr. Bearman and current GH2DP Pathway Residents

3rd Annual VCU Global Health Showcase: Making it Work, Getting it Right

The 3rd annual Virginia Commonwealth University Global Health Showcase is coming up on April 20, 2015. This is an all day event featuring an exciting keynote from Dr. Tom Kerkering discussing his experience with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, several breakout sessions and a poster session featuring global-health related work from trainees across the university. This year's meeting is called "Making it Work, Getting it Right." The theme of the meeting is giving students and faculty key tools to engage in global health work.

VCU EWB students trailing a novel water catchment device
in Yoro, Honduras, June 2014

Prior showcases have been a wonderful opportunity to network, share ideas and build new relationships. The first showcase led to our program's (the Global Health & Health Disparities Program, GH2DP) current partnership with VCU's Engineers Without Borders (EWB) student chapter. This relationship has led to the development of several novel clean water technologies for use in rural Latin America as well as helped support or ongoing clean water campaign in Yoro, Honduras.

VCU EWB students trailing a new biased filter,
Richmond, VA, 2015

It is not too late to register and come out for the showcase on April 20th! Details about the showcase (including the agenda) can be found here.

2015 GH2DP-Engineers Without Borders Collaboration

VCU EWB students working with a 

biosand filter prototype 

We are very excited to be collaborating again with VCU's Engineers Without Borders (EWB) chapter for our upcoming outreach trip in June.

This year there are plans on trialing a new biosand filter that may ultimately provide clean drinking water to people in very remote regions of Honduras. The EWB group has created a prototype device and has plans to systematically study this over the next few months and on the ground in Honduras this upcoming June. The group also will re-trial a novel water catchment device first deployed in Honduras in June 2014.

EWB students Lucas Potter and Kristina Kelly deploying a
novel water catchment device in La Hicaca, Honduras, June 2014

Inaugural VCU Global Health Symposium

VCU Global Health and Health Disparities research team reunion
(from left to right: Dr. Bearman, Kate, Jackie, Gaby, Audrey)

Today the inaugural VCU Global Health Symposium was held in Richmond, Virginia, bringing together faculty and students from across the university who are involved in global health efforts.

One of the key goals of the meeting was to provide a platform for sharing ideas, networking and developing the framework for future collaboration. The meeting featured short talks focused on research at both the community and international levels, and a poster session.

Dr. Moskowitz presenting on a national rheumatic fever
project in the St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Researchers presented on both local community health projects (including our clean water project in northern Honduras, as well as a skin cancer prevention project in Peru and a dental project in Jamaica) and a later session focused on country-wide global health efforts. These included a project focused on rheumatic fever surveillance in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, trauma infrastructure development in Latin America, student education projects in India and medical simulation education in Poland. The meeting was capped off with an inspiring talk on global health research by the dean of the VCU School of Medicine Dr. Jerome Strauss.

Twenty students and residents presented 22 posters related to global health research and health outreach. Our northern Honduras group was well represented with 4 students presenting 5 posters (way to go Jackie/ Gaby/ Audrey/ Kate!).

I left the meeting inspired, re-charged and with some fresh ideas; better yet, our group now has some potential new collaborators. I am already looking forward to the 2014 symposium!