Day 1(1/3/18) *Atlanta/CDC*
Welcome to my blog! I'm so lucky to be enrolled in a study abroad class called "Comparative Public Health: US and the World", for which I'll be journaling on every day of the trip. The course begins in Atlanta, GA at the CDC, then moves to the WHO in Geneva, with a few days at the WHO Euro in Copenhagen. I feel so fortunate to be able to go on this trip, and it's sure to be an enriching and eye-opening experience in how public health functions across different countries. I am looking forward to the effect that this course will have on my future in the medical field; I will be more informed of global health issues, modern opinions across countries regarding certain medical issues, and observe how good teamwork and communication save lives(something I can use in any medical setting!)
So, day 1. Last night I stayed over at the Fairfield inn by the airport since I had to be at the airport by 5am. It was lovely...except I didn't really sleep much...I was so excited for the trip that I couldn't sleep until 1am and then got woken up at 3am by a fire alarm in the hotel😂. It was only a burst pipe so everything turned out ok, but I ended up quite tired for the 5am airport shuttle-the excitement definitely got me through the day, even though I could barely keep my eyes open:)
Once at the airport, we got in line(a 45 minute line at 5am in the MSP airport on a Wednesday...I was really surprised so many people could be awake that early!) and soon after boarded the plane to Atlanta. When we landed, the shuttle was about 1.5hrs late, but that made for some good preliminary group bonding time:) We arrived in the "Villa International" which is a center where public health workers or post-doc students live and it's right across from the CDC--what a neat concept for a residence...I'm really looking forward to meeting some of the unique individuals who are also living here with us. Plus, my roommates both seem super nice-so it'll be great to get to know them better(and the rest of the class as well of course).
From there, we went on a tour of the CDC museum; this was quite a highlight. Our tour guides were both retired(one a med school professor, one a public health researcher) and had really interesting stories to tell. Some highlights/facts I learned at the museum(I hope to go back to learn more on our "work day" here):
-We saw a Guinea Worm(they burrow themselves in your skin, grow, and then eat their way out but only part of them comes out all the way so you have to pull them out over a few days/weeks. They're a huge problem in areas where there is dirty water that people drink or bathe in.
-We learned that there is no funding available for gun violence research even though it is predicted to be a significant public health risk for children in the US especially(thanks to the NRA which provides lots of funding to decision makers in Washington DC, they lobby heavily against gun violence research the tour guide said😑).
-The CDC is government-funded, so it's often hard to maintain ongoing projects depending on who's in office at the capitol. For example, we learned that during the Reagan presidency, Reagan announced that he didn't want to be associated with supporting any people who are homosexual or use drugs, so a majority of the AIDS projects and resources were shut down, thus harming several thousands of people in the US. I was really troubled to see these two huge examples in which basic health in the US was compromised by and dependent upon...politics!...which seems to be dependent upon...money!
-To help combat the spread of smallpox, the CDC sent "vaccination guns" to areas of high risk(developed by the military). That made me wonder about the trauma that some of those people went through getting vaccinated. Someone who doesn't look like you comes to your land, doesn't speak your language, and shoots something into your arm. I wonder how the CDC maintains culturally competent healthcare standards when they have to do a mission like that-I know that even when I know my nurse and he/she speaks English to me and uses a super small needle, I'm still terrified of shots! I understand that it was a great thing to vaccinate so many people, but I just wonder how they got communities to trust them(especially if some may consider vaccines to be agains their religions, as is even the case in the US in some cities!)
-We saw an iron lung used during the times when polio was actively present, and learned that physical therapy and leg braces were very controversial when they were introduced since they didn't have "biological/chemical evidence". Funny how there are trends to change...people are unlikely to accept new ideas now just like they did back then!
-We saw the place in which Ebola vaccines are stored(in countries where refrigeration is not easily accessible). PS apparently Mark Zuckerberg funded most of the ebola vaccine research!
Overall, an incredible and eye-opening day, full of inspiration to help others, with evidence that it can be done, despite many barriers(cultural, political, language-related, etc.). I'm really looking forward to what the next few days in Atlanta will hold!
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a day of "outbreak simulation" at the CDC! We were assigned a clip about public health as homework and I'm excited to see many of the concepts from the clip in action. For example, it states that public health looks at how/why accidents occurred(and protection/promotion/prevention of health), whereas clinical health looks at how to treat the damage caused by the accident. Will I observe policy creation? Resource allocation? Social determinants of health(physical/social/economic) analysis? Educational resources? Teamwork between many groups of decision makers?
I'm exhausted after an exciting first day! Goodnight!
-Anna
So, day 1. Last night I stayed over at the Fairfield inn by the airport since I had to be at the airport by 5am. It was lovely...except I didn't really sleep much...I was so excited for the trip that I couldn't sleep until 1am and then got woken up at 3am by a fire alarm in the hotel😂. It was only a burst pipe so everything turned out ok, but I ended up quite tired for the 5am airport shuttle-the excitement definitely got me through the day, even though I could barely keep my eyes open:)
Once at the airport, we got in line(a 45 minute line at 5am in the MSP airport on a Wednesday...I was really surprised so many people could be awake that early!) and soon after boarded the plane to Atlanta. When we landed, the shuttle was about 1.5hrs late, but that made for some good preliminary group bonding time:) We arrived in the "Villa International" which is a center where public health workers or post-doc students live and it's right across from the CDC--what a neat concept for a residence...I'm really looking forward to meeting some of the unique individuals who are also living here with us. Plus, my roommates both seem super nice-so it'll be great to get to know them better(and the rest of the class as well of course).
From there, we went on a tour of the CDC museum; this was quite a highlight. Our tour guides were both retired(one a med school professor, one a public health researcher) and had really interesting stories to tell. Some highlights/facts I learned at the museum(I hope to go back to learn more on our "work day" here):
-We saw a Guinea Worm(they burrow themselves in your skin, grow, and then eat their way out but only part of them comes out all the way so you have to pull them out over a few days/weeks. They're a huge problem in areas where there is dirty water that people drink or bathe in.
-We learned that there is no funding available for gun violence research even though it is predicted to be a significant public health risk for children in the US especially(thanks to the NRA which provides lots of funding to decision makers in Washington DC, they lobby heavily against gun violence research the tour guide said😑).
-The CDC is government-funded, so it's often hard to maintain ongoing projects depending on who's in office at the capitol. For example, we learned that during the Reagan presidency, Reagan announced that he didn't want to be associated with supporting any people who are homosexual or use drugs, so a majority of the AIDS projects and resources were shut down, thus harming several thousands of people in the US. I was really troubled to see these two huge examples in which basic health in the US was compromised by and dependent upon...politics!...which seems to be dependent upon...money!
-To help combat the spread of smallpox, the CDC sent "vaccination guns" to areas of high risk(developed by the military). That made me wonder about the trauma that some of those people went through getting vaccinated. Someone who doesn't look like you comes to your land, doesn't speak your language, and shoots something into your arm. I wonder how the CDC maintains culturally competent healthcare standards when they have to do a mission like that-I know that even when I know my nurse and he/she speaks English to me and uses a super small needle, I'm still terrified of shots! I understand that it was a great thing to vaccinate so many people, but I just wonder how they got communities to trust them(especially if some may consider vaccines to be agains their religions, as is even the case in the US in some cities!)
-We saw an iron lung used during the times when polio was actively present, and learned that physical therapy and leg braces were very controversial when they were introduced since they didn't have "biological/chemical evidence". Funny how there are trends to change...people are unlikely to accept new ideas now just like they did back then!
-We saw the place in which Ebola vaccines are stored(in countries where refrigeration is not easily accessible). PS apparently Mark Zuckerberg funded most of the ebola vaccine research!
 |
| Guinea Worm |
 |
| Guinea Worm |
 |
| Smallpox vaccine gun |
 |
| Ebola vaccine "fridge" |
 |
| Iron lung |
Overall, an incredible and eye-opening day, full of inspiration to help others, with evidence that it can be done, despite many barriers(cultural, political, language-related, etc.). I'm really looking forward to what the next few days in Atlanta will hold!
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a day of "outbreak simulation" at the CDC! We were assigned a clip about public health as homework and I'm excited to see many of the concepts from the clip in action. For example, it states that public health looks at how/why accidents occurred(and protection/promotion/prevention of health), whereas clinical health looks at how to treat the damage caused by the accident. Will I observe policy creation? Resource allocation? Social determinants of health(physical/social/economic) analysis? Educational resources? Teamwork between many groups of decision makers?
I'm exhausted after an exciting first day! Goodnight!
-Anna
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