Switzerland: Basel
(2 weeks)
Coordinated by Caroline A. Stierle-Wirz
After a brief orientation in Washington, DC, begin in Basel, Switzerland, a culturally rich urban center on the river Rhine that combines Swiss, German and French influences. Discussions with officials, academics and activists involved with major global public health organizations, such as the WHO and the Swiss Tropical Institute, will set the stage for understanding how global-health power brokers and policymakers shape health and illness in countries around the world. Speak with representatives and critics of the two major pharmaceutical companies that call Basel home and learn about anthroposophical medicine, a system combining the spiritual with the scientific, which was developed in the region by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s. Observe, listen, interact: What can be learned from the Swiss model of health care, which provides free basic coverage to all, including 24 hour access to telemedicine? Panel discussions, guest speakers and site visits will get you thinking about key questions that you’ll revisit throughout the program. Develop your interdisciplinary understanding of the various academic frameworks that shape health practice and policy, while getting to know your group and taking in the scenic surroundings of this multicultural city at the crossroads of Europe.
India: Bangalore
(5 weeks)
Coordinated by Mani Kalliath
India is a world power with a burgeoning economy and a population that will soon surpass that of China. Bangalore, a bustling city full of color, provides the base for exploration of health in India, while rural excursions cast light on the contrasting conditions between life within and outside of the city. We are hosted by Basic Needs India, a local mental health NGO, which intervenes holistically at different levels of society to bring about better access to health care, family and community support, livelihoods support and government services to ‘below-poverty-line’ mentally ill persons. Examine the mental and physical health challenges faced by farmers, sexual minorities and the urban poor. How do lack of access to clean water and food and infectious diseases like HIV and malaria compound these challenges? Visit a range of community-level and district-level health facilities and examine how such a large and diverse nation addresses the double burden of its infectious disease epidemics and burgeoning chronic disease prevalence, as its population both grows and ages. What roles do public and private entities play in developing solutions? Also, how do traditional Aryuvedic medicine and biomedicine intertwine? At the end of the India program, there is a one-week vacation.
China: Changsha
(4 weeks)
Coordinated by Zhang Chengping
With over 1.3 billion people, China shares with India the challenges of rapid population growth, environmental degradation in the face of economic development, and a rich, complex cultural landscape. Yet, the political histories and governmental structures of the two countries contrast sharply, which allows IHP students to analyze the powerful role of political structures in determining health policy. Participate in Chinese family life through homestays in Changsha, a city rich in history and a food-lover’s paradise. Situated in southern Hunan province, surrounded by beautiful countryside, Changsha was the site of Mao Zedong’s conversion to communism and remains an important port and commercial center. China offers future health practitioners and researchers a glimpse into the challenges of working amidst deep language and cultural barriers. Learn to overcome these barriers as you explore how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and biomedical approaches mix in a public health system that is trying to recover from its dismantling in the 1980s and 1990s. Chinese solutions to air pollution and related illness, overpopulation, aging and women’s reproductive health are also focal points.
South Africa: Cape Town
(5 weeks)
Coordinated by Christopher J. Colvin.
South Africa, with its history of apartheid, brings into sharp focus the role of race in determining health. Reflect on how social and health inequities are manifest in India, China, and in your own country(ies) as compared to South Africa. Homestays in a small community in Cape Town and in a rural black township allow students to see and experience, firsthand, how recent change in political structure affects health and community life—in profoundly positive ways as grassroots health activism is burgeoning, and in equally disturbing ways, as deep disparities in health persist. The urgency of the HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics is nowhere more visible. Hear from and interact with community activists, physicians, public health practitioners and officials as they seek to understand how and why the HIV/AIDS epidemic has ravaged communities in South Africa. Farmland, pesticides and health will be the environmental focus of the program, and students will be challenged to understand domestic and political violence in the context of the country’s social relations. Amidst the multiple public health “crises” that face South Africa, probe the promise of community activism as a transforming influence in the lives of all people. IHP concludes with a three-day retreat in a serene setting in the beautiful hills outside of Cape Town. Students will synthesize their academic work, personal journeys and the challenges of re-entry. It is a celebration and culmination of learning and community life.
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United States: Washington, DC
(2 weeks)
Coordinated by Jeremy Ogusky
The seat of government for one of the richest nations in the world and hub of international policymaking, Washington, D.C. is also home to neighborhoods among the poorest in the United States. Hear from global health experts from the World Bank, influential think tanks, and international NGOs, while observing, first-hand, how health inequities affect those living within earshot of the halls of world political power. Investigate the many social determinants of health, such as gender, housing, racism, and income. How have imbalances in these factors led to some of our country’s worst health outcomes. Over the course of the two weeks in DC, you’ll gain deeper insight into the many challenges and solutions of health and disease at the national and local levels, while setting the stage for your exploration of similar issues internationally. Explore the diverse neighborhoods and local NGOs of DC, meet with community leaders, activists and government officials and begin to develop your own toolbox for effecting change by participating in policy advocacy in the halls of our nation’s Capitol. Delve into the four interdisciplinary courses that make up the Health and Community program while connecting with new friends and exploring the political heart of the nation.
South Africa: Bushbuckridge
(5 weeks)
Coordinated by Jan G. Vermeulen
Begin with a brief stay in cosmopolitan Johannesburg, where you’ll learn about South Africa’s multicultural history and the impact of apartheid, as well as recent reform. From the bustling city, venture to the Bushbuckridge region, a collection of rural communities bordered on the east by Kruger national park, one of the best-known game parks in the world. Sought after by ecotourism enterprises and the government for its natural beauty and resources, the area has been at the center of contentious land struggles, land-use policies and conservation efforts that have deeply impacted the health of the indigenous population. Engage in dialogue with people on various sides of the land-use issue. HIV/AIDS, lack of access to land and water, unemployment and alcoholism are also central themes for consideration. What efforts are underway at the local and national levels to address these challenges and improve conditions in the region? What role can education play in improving health? Diverse homestays provide an opportunity to gain personal perspective and grapple with divergent viewpoints.
Vietnam: Hanoi
(4 weeks)
Coordinated by Vu Cong Nguyen and Anh Le Thi Ngoc
One of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and rapidly developing nations, Vietnam has succeeded in dramatically reducing poverty, yet considerable challenges remain. The most vexing health-related issues include an HIV/AIDS epidemic that threatens to become widespread; the enormous demands placed on health systems from rising rural-to-urban migration; widening inequalities; and worsening environmental conditions. The whirring of motorbikes, the calls of fresh fruit vendors and the clang of new building projects are sounds that fill the air in Hanoi, where students will be hosted by a the Family Health Research and Development Center of CIHP. This dynamic NGO, formed by experienced public health experts, implements a range of health research and development programs, such as an on-line HIV/AIDS and sexuality counseling service for teens. The Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH), Vietnam’s premier public health institution -- known for its applied teaching approach utilizing an array of urban and rural field sites -- will serve as co-hosts. This combination will provide a rare opportunity to study with Vietnam’s finest public health professionals and observe, first-hand, creative efforts to resolve some of the country’s most vexing problems through visits to project and field sites. The program will include homestays in Hanoi, as well as excursions to surrounding rural areas.
Brazil: Sao Paulo
(5 weeks)
Coordinated by Glenda de la Fuente
The world has its eyes on Brazil. A throbbing center of rich and varied cultural life in Latin America for decades, Brazil has emerged as a major economy and model of participatory democracy. After a period of military dictatorship, Brazil’s new constitution, sanctioned in 1988, established health as a fundamental social right and called for access to social and medical care services for all citizens without discrimination on the basis of skin color, income, social status, or gender. What is the reality in 2010? Sao Paulo, the largest city in the Americas and a cultural melting pot, is an ideal place to study the progress and problems of Brazil. Witness model HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs in action and consider how they differ from programs in South Africa, Vietnam and the United States. Although successful in some ways, why does Brazil continue to see wide variations in child and maternal mortality and rates of infectious disease? What can pockets of success show us about the way forward in other regions of the country, in the United States, and throughout the world? Other themes will include migrant health on the sugar plantations that fuel Brazil’s growing biodiesel industry; “social medicine” as it relates to violence reduction; and family planning, sexuality and reproductive health. IHP Health and Community will wrap up with a three-day retreat in a placid setting outside the hustle and bustle of Sao Paulo. Stepping back from the intensity of a 15-week journey, reflect on a semester’s worth of experience across four countries and prepare for re-entry to work and life at home.
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