“Students who experience the world through education abroad develop cultural sensitivity and humility, and are exposed to working across disciplines, cultures and national boundaries,” Sunil says. “The students saw that real world issues can rarely be seen as black and white. Instead, the issues are complicated, and the solutions are shares of gray. There are no simple issues or simple solutions.”
Seven CPHHS undergraduate students had a memorable summer overseas in Bangalore, India. The students gained a new perspective as they saw public health in action alongside their faculty advisor, Assistant Professor Jonathan Garcia.
Expert weighs in on questions on many minds concerned with wildfire smoke.
When most people think of spring break activities, visions of poolside fun, road trips and time with family and friends likely come to mind – not a trip to Ethiopia. But for six OSU students, a spring break trip to East Africa offered them the opportunity to be involved in peer workshops, earn two credit hours and experience life in another part of the world.
“One of the big concerns for tribal populations is that they have lower screening rates,” Megan says. “If you don’t screen, then you don’t detect cancer until someone is showing symptoms. A big part of the program was to see if there was a way to get individuals with an abnormal screening result to get a definitive diagnosis, to shorten that window and get treatment in a timely fashion.
People say to me, ‘I could never do what you do,’ and I tell them, “Do what you can do. Everyone can help. If you have a passion, you have a purpose and likely a skill that can help. Don’t limit yourself. A local realty company has offered to donate funds to repair roofs damaged by Hurricane Matthew’s damaging winds and rain. A local Zonta volunteer, Antigone Cook, and a friend and OSU alum, Rachel Boyle, helped make curtains for the guest house. If you offer a service, we’ll do our best to match the need, even if it means sending you to another organization.”