Monday, July 22, 2013

Update on VCU's Global Health & Health Disparities Program (GH2DP) Presented at Infectious Diseases Grand Rounds

With Dr. Bearman
Today my friend and colleague Dr. Gonzalo Bearman and I presented an update on our work in Honduras at VCU's Infectious Diseases grand rounds.

We provided a brief overview of the evolution of our work in the Department of Yoro, Honduras, since 2005, highlighting our 4 part mission (direct patient care, public health, student and resident exposure to global health concepts and research) and discussed the evolution of the Global Health and Health Disparities Program here at VCU.

Since 2008 we have distributed 400 water filters and now provide clean drinking water to approximately 1,500 people living across 17 villages. The incidence of severe diarrheal illness being reported to the local Ministry of Health has been halved since the inception of our program, and no child deaths from diarrhea have been reported in the past 18 months. Although our program is small in scope we believe it is having a positive impact on the communities we partner with.

To boot, we now support a residency track within VCU's Internal Medicine Training Program designed to give particularly motivated residents robust education in and exposure to global health concepts. As well, we have started a Student Scholars program that will afford similar opportunities to medical students.

To find out more please visit our website. To find out how to support our program ($25 dollars will buy a family a water filter that will provide clean drinking water for 2 years or more!) please follow this link.


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