Thursday, December 23, 2010

All I want for Christmas

2 days (and counting) until one of my favorite holidays of the year: Christmas!! While the holiday is important to me because of the meaning behind it, I especially love getting to take a break from everyday life. No matter where I am, I get to find my way to family, friends, and fun! What's especially exciting about this time at HSPH is that it marks the beginning of Winter Session, an opportunity for small classes, travel, research, or - in my case this year - an extended break!!

Last year, I used my January term to travel to India on a 3-week field study trip with Dr. Richard Cash, world-renowned inventor of Oral Rehydration Therapy. (See blog entry #2 for more details).

This year, after considering traveling to Brazil, Cyprus, and New Orleans, I'm ending up in one of my favorite places: my home! I've decided to use the holiday to spend time with family (especially my younger siblings) and catch up with friends. I'll also be working on my thesis and doing work for the Office of Diversity.

I've made many references to the "OD," as we call it, so I'm sure you're wondering what it is. What is this thing called diversity? And what is this mysterious place that I manage to spend 10 hours of my week working for?

Well, the Office of Diversity is a special division within HSPH that is designed to "to initiate and support activities that increase diversity and promote cultural competency among members of the HSPH community." It has been well-documented that diversity, i.e., a blending of different racial/ethnic, religious, political, and cultural groups, is important in higher education. It's especially crucial in the fields of medicine and public health in order to more effectively assist minority populations, which are often overrepresented in poor health groups. Through mentoring, providing resources, bringing in speakers, and providing both support and study space, the OD is important in supporting underrepresented minority groups and in increasing the cultural education of all students, faculty, and staff.

While I know that some of you may not see the necessity of such an office, I would argue that it's offices like these that bring qualified, talented individuals that might not otherwise be at an institution like Harvard there. It's not about affirmative action or providing handouts to people who don't deserve it; it's about recognizing that people from different backgrounds have different needs, and ensuring that there is someone who understands. The OD is actually what encouraged me to come to Harvard, demonstrating to me that the institution where I would spend 2 years of my life actually cared about creating an environment composed of different types of people that can reach different audiences. It's a second home to me! When I hear stories like this one that talk about the "old white male" legacy of Harvard University, I'm reminded that while Harvard is trying to make strides, we still have a long way to go.

Mata ato de (trying a little Japanese now!)

-From poet Maya Angelou

Sunday, December 12, 2010

It's Finals Week Again :(

This week is [dun dun dun...] finals week, everyone's favorite time of year! :) In light of my 10 minute procrastination break, I thought I'd share an atypical finals week schedule (i.e., my schedule) with you. Unlike many of my colleagues, I actually have a fairly light exam load this term. Of my four current classes, one had the final exam two weeks ago, another doesn't have an exam component, and one is an independent study which has a final paper instead of an exam. Sound easy? Well, I wouldn't take it that far.  But I am thankful that I took a lighter load this course; it will make the next few days much less painful!

Sunday 
8:30 am - Head to church for Praise and Worship team practice
10:00 am - Church service
12 pm - 5:30 pm - Write thesis proposal...(ugh...not fun!)
6:15 pm - Shopping and setting up for Resident Community Advisor "study break" program in Shattuck International House tonight
7 pm - 9 pm - Hang out with Shattuck residents for my program (while frantically trying to write)
all night - Write! Write! Write!

Monday
8:30 am - 10:30 am - Last Biostatistics lecture (who thought it was a good idea to have lectures during the week of final exams?!)
AM - Continue writing, writing, writing
12:30 pm - 10 minute chair massage, compliments of HSPH !
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm - Biostatistics review session that I organized for exam on Wednesday

Tuesday
8 am - 1:30 pm - Research assistantship job through the Research Program on Children and Global Adversity
Rest of the day (and night) - Biostatistics cramming!!

Wednesday 
8:30 am - 10:30 am - Biostatistics final exam!!
11 am - Final Independent Study meeting to discuss my thesis proposal/literature review
12:30-1:30 pm - Maternal and Child Health Seminar Course
3:30 pm - Docs appt
PM - Try and catch up with some friends before they travel for the Christmas Holiday

Thursday
8 - 12:30 pm - Research assistant job
1 pm - 2 pm - Massage workshop, compliments of the "Maintain, Don't Gain" Harvard Wellness Center holiday program
PM - frantically try to find a first and second reader for my thesis
5 - 8 pm - Work at the Office of Diversity

Friday 
AM - Work to finishing putting in my 15 hours as a research assistant
1:30 pm - exercise!!
PM - Keep searching for thesis committee members; hand in signed proposal today and try to catch up on other departmental paperwork
6:30 pm - Praise and Worship practice

Then...BREATHE!!!

I won't be leaving Boston until next week, so I'll be sure to give you another update before I head home for the holiday break!

Until next time...

Success is a journey, not a destination.
-From Ben Sweetland

Friday, December 10, 2010

The Forum at HSPH

Yesterday was the launching of the first-ever "Forum at HSPH" : a series that is looking to bring global health leaders together to engage in dialogue at the School of Public Health. To some of you, this may not seem like a big deal. But from my experience as a student here,  the school is always bringing Ministers of Health and other government officials but not the "sexy," high-profile people who impact the global health agenda as well.

The talk was focused on a conversation on "Vision for Global Health over the Next Decade." The informal conversation featured  Ted Turner (yes, the Ted Turner, founder of CNN, Cartoon Network, Captain Planet, and - oh wait - the UN Foundation as well) and Dean Julio Frenk (Dean of HSPH and former Minister of Health to Mexico), and was moderated by award-winning jounalist and author Abigal Trafford.  I volunteered as an usher for the event and was also one of the lucky 100 to get a seat in the main seating area.

While both participants have an impressive resume, it was Dean Frenk who was particularly captivating. He encouraged the audience "to think of health not as a separate sector but a shared social objective" and even gave an example of how health has been used as a tool for diplomacy and peace in Central America. He emphasized the need to focus on strengthening health systems and improving the role of women, and managed to plug in some of his own initiatives including the Millenium Development Goals and the Women and Health initiative.

There's no question that Mr. Turner is a very accomplished man, but I was slightly put off by his lack of "PC" dialogue. Perhaps with age comes an increased level of "frankness," but frankly, I wasn't a fan. Mr. Turner did, however, stir the audience with his promotion of the Voluntary One-Child Policy, which he suggests he will help the world reach its equilibrium population if followed for the next 100 years. He explained that an ideal population size for the globe is between 2 and 2.5 billion people if everyone were to live at U.S. standards; more will cause sub-standard living and less will not allow for the "Western" perks that exist today. Hmmm....

This question sparked my own interest in the role of culture in promoting sound health policies. No one wants to be told how many children they can have, myself included. In response to my question, Dean Frenk chose to focus more on the "social objective" of health while Mr. Turner didn't respond at all. Ah well, I guess this is all the more reason for my future doctor research...

For more information, see: The Forum at HSPH

Bon week-end!

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it. 
-From Marian Anderson

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

World AIDS Day 2010

Today marks the one week anniversary of World AIDS Day 2010, a day where the public is asked to remember the 25 million lives lost and more than 30 million lives infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. I chose to share the details of this event after the actual day because I think that there shouldn't just be one day dedicated to a 100% preventable disease that has destroyed millions of lives, especially on the African continent. I've spent the last five plus years investigating possible ways forward, particularly focusing on policy and grassroots involvement in the response, so of course I have a lot to say. But instead of belaboring you with facts and figures, I want to share with you the way that I encouraged my school to get involved.

As Co-President of the HSPH Africa Health Forum Student Organization, I knew that one of our annual programs should be used to bring attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly since discussion has waned over the past few years. Despite the ongoing HIV/AIDS research at HSPH, our organization was the only one to create an event. And unfortunately, last year's event was a debacle; it was poorly attended, not well-planned, and lacked an innovative component to show that the fight against AIDS is still ongoing.

This year, in working with Co-President Kafui and the AHF board members, we decided to reach out to Harvard AIDS Initiative (HAI), a major force in global HIV/AIDS research that didn't have an event planned for the occasion. We worked with Martha, the HAI Communications Manager, to develop an exciting, innovative panel that centered around "New Developments in HIV/AIDS Prevention," and it was great! We catered Senegalese hors d'oeuvres from the local restaurant Teranga and invited more than 100 students, faculty, and staff to engage in fresh dialog surrounding prevention in HIV/AIDS. (See: http://www.aids.harvard.edu/conferences/index.html for the event flier).

The panelists were as follows:

Max Essex, DVM
Dr. Essex, who is Director of HAI and Advisor of AHF, was the moderator for this panel. He provided an overview "report card" of HIV/AIDS prevention methods to give the audience an idea of what has been working and what hasn't been. Top contenders were: prevention of mother-to-child transmission and pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Bottom-feeders included: control of HSV (a form of herpes) and microbicides, in general (with the exception of Tenofovir).



Lori Panther, MD, MPH
Dr. Panther (an alumni of HSPH) presented on microbicides and pre-exposure prophylaxis. She talked about two hot-off-the-press studies (including iPrEx) that showed some promising results for the short-term use of these two forms of prevention. (See: http://www.globaliprex.net/ and http://www.avac.org/)


Roger Shapiro, MD, MPH
Dr. Shapiro had some very exciting results to share in regards to PMTCT. He talked about the level of risk for a mother transmitting HIV to the baby as increasing from pregnancy (5-10%) to labor/delivery (10-20%) to breastfeeding (5-20% depending on duration). Different medications have proven to almost completely reduce risk of transmission, such as highly-active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). He also discussed two different studies - Mma Bana (focused on maternal HAART) and BAN (infant nivirapine prophylaxis). These studies provide greater hope to reducing transmission from mothers to their children, particularly because breastfeeding has been proven important for infant survival in developing country contexts. 



Rebecca Plank, MD
Dr. Plank gave a witty presentation about how male circumcision has greatly reduced transmission of HIV among men. One of the biggest draws towards using this method is that there is 100% adherence, unlike taking a pill each day. Dr. Plank talked about the challenges toward promoting male circumcision, particularly as it relates to cultural practices in different contexts. In Botswana, however, the government has supported a massive circumcision campaign, integrating cultural ceremonies as well. Additionally, Dr. Plank advocated for infant male circumcision due to increased safety and lower cost.
(See: http://malecircumcision.org/)


Stella Safo, MPH Class of 2010 
Ms. Safo (also a dear friend of mine) talked about her work in starting a peer-to-peer education program among African-American adolescent girls in a Boston public school. Her program "Let's Talk Love" gives girls the opportunity to discuss sexual education in an open, supportive environment while also being able to share methods of preventing the transmission of diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Ms. Safo's talk showed how research can be translated into practice in the fight against AIDS. 


Other photos:

 An engaged audience filled Snyder Auditorium

Me facilitating the 40 minute Question and Answer period

AHF Board, Event Planners, and Panelists

For more information about the AHF World AIDS Event - or for more info about AHF or HAI - please see:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/coverage-in-the-media/hsph-hosts-hiv-aids-panel-world-aids-day/index.html


-Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
From William James

Monday, December 6, 2010

Avenues of Support at HSPH


Thanksgiving seems like it was so long ago! In just two weeks time, exams and final paper deadlines will be approaching! But while many of my classmates were preparing to travel home for the annual Turkey Day holiday, I was preparing for a family visit of a different kind. Today, I don't intend to share much about my trip, other than to say that I spent some quality time with my family in Nigeria. Instead, I want to share a little bit about the support that the School of Public Health provides (and doesn't provide) when you need it. 

I found out mid-October that I was going to have to make the trek across the world sometime in November, and immediately, I notified several people: my professors and TAs, work supervisors, and also the head of the Office of Diversity and the Office of Student Affairs. Everyone was surprisingly supportive, offering their condolences and telling me that they were there if I needed them. My research assistantship supervisor told me to take whatever time that I needed, although I felt like I was letting the team down by not doing my full 15 hours/week. My colleagues were willing to help me finish tasks I wasn't able to complete, such as in preparation for the HSPH Africa Health Forum Student Organization's World AIDS Day event (which I will share about on Wednesday). 

In talking to some of my classmates, I realize that many don't feel comfortable reaching out for help when they need it. In some cases - such as if you're failing the introductory epidemiology or biostatistics courses - the school will reach out to you. But in most cases, you're on your own. Even if you reach out for support, you may not always get as much as other institutions provide. For example, I've found that gaining assistance in identifying financial opportunities is a lost cause here...

While perhaps I'm more comfortable reaching out to others than most, there are two reasons that I felt it was important to contact the people that I did in my time of need:

1.     I wanted to make sure that there was documentation in advance, so when I needed to miss school or if I had difficulty concentrating in class, I wouldn't be penalized and my superiors would understand why this happened.
2.     I also wanted to make sure that the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Diversity - two forms of student support available at HSPH - were aware so that they could assist me in intervening if any problems with professors or exams came up later.

In particular, the Office of Student Affairs acts as a liaison in personal student matters, often advising students on how to proceed in matters that are/will impact academics and sometimes contacting professors for students who can't or don't feel comfortable doing so. I believe that as an adult, it's my responsibility to make the links myself; no one should be doing it for me. But, when I realized that I forgot to contact the professor and TA for one of my seminar courses  – one that only allows a specified number of absences in order to pass the class – it seems to me that having the prior email documentation and the Office of Student Affairs support will be helpful! (Results are still to be seen…). As for my other two classes, the results were mixed:
  •  My communications class required me to give my final speech Tuesday night, despite that I didn't return until Tuesday afternoon. I was extremely jetlagged and not very prepared, but I had no choice for my final grade
  • My BIO 210 professor and TA gave me an extra (almost) week when I had access to STATA to complete the two assignments I missed.

I'm still a little overwhelmed with everything I missed – and it's still up to me to catch up very quickly – but it's nice to feel that I have control in communicating to my professors and advisors that it's not my laziness that caused me to fall behind; it's me trying to deal with life!

Au revoir!

-From American Historian and Musician Bernice Johnson Reagon

A few pics from my time away (call it a little lesson in Yoruba culture, if you will):

 My cousins and I

Me and my parents 

A new way to cook meat...after the ceremonial killing of a cow (i.e., don't worry - the cow was NOT burned alive)

My Aunty Caroline and I on the day after my birthday, as I enjoy little, sweet bananas and my only bday present: puffpuff :) (fried donut balls)

Several of my cousins and I 

My mom and I wearing traditional Ondo ceremonial burial beads 

The funeral procession (yes, I didn't go to Nigeria for "fun and games") 



Me, my grandma, and my mom 

My mom getting "sprayed" (given money for dancing) by the in-laws 

 The grave site of my grandfather and great grandfather outside the old family church that my mom attended as a child

RIP Grandpa...I love you!!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Harvard vs. Yale, and the Battle against...Hate?

Have you missed me?! I know it’s been a while – and I promise to show some pictures from my time away. But before that, as promised, let’s talk about the New England rivalry event of the year on its two week anniversary…Harvard vs. Yale!

I prepared for the event with the excitement of any college football Saturday; I’m not a diehard fan, but I do love me a healthy competitive game when I feel invested in the team. In true football fashion, the excitement has to start the night before the game. And so, with a couple of my colleagues, we went out for drinks at the famous “John Harvard” pub. I’d never been there before – and I’ll be completely honest, I went more for good convo than a football pre-game – but it was a lot of fun to be surrounded by a young, fresh, excited crowd. (I know I sound really old, but that’s what grad school can do to you!). We had some delicious bread pudding to celebrating my upcoming birthday (that was the only “cake” I got, so thanks guys!). A few hours, and a few pitchers, later, we had fun taking in the scene and getting in on a bit of the action, too.


Happy Birthday to Me... :)

This crowd looks suspiciously young...

I saw a guy from Yale wearing a dino suit, and so I thought this was grounds for a picture...

I borrowed some glasses that I thought were fly (until I read "Harvard Sucks" on the side...)



Harvard is "so much" better...P.S. Is "Yale" old enough to be there?!?

The next day, Saturday, I had every intention of getting up early and going to the HSPH tailgate that was happening outside the football stadium. But, reality set in that I needed to do some packing, and so I made it to Cambridge just in time for the 10 am – 12 pm tailgate to be over. Instead, I went to the first ever Black Graduate Student Harvard/Yale and Alumni “tailgate” at one of the local bar/clubs in Cambridge. This was an opportunity to meet past and current students from the College and Harvard’s 12 graduate schools, several students from Yale, and watch the football game. Let me preface the occasion by saying this was no Michigan State vs. University of Michigan event. I was adorned in Harvard gear and was ready to enjoy an exciting football game. Instead, I found myself at a club (I mean, it could have actually been 11 pm at night), complete with flowing drinks, music, dancing…and oh yeah, the game playing somewhere in the background. I met a handful of people (no, I didn’t meet any potential suitors), got to know some of my own classmates better, and actually had a really good time! And the amazing thing to me was that I actually went completely on my own! In the words of Fisher Price, I think it was, “I’m a big kid now!”



 

Me and a friend (and fellow Student Ambassador for the Office of Diversity)

HSPH-ers unite!

The club actually reached capacity!!

Ignore the "Stanford" and focus on the color...

To the window, to the wall..." (at 3 pm in the afternoon)

My HSPH crew!!

My afternoon Harvard/Yale experience was great fun, and it was especially exciting to see how many well-educated, successful Black people there are in Boston/affiliated with Harvard. But while I thought the event signified how far Harvard as a university had come in expanding its own walls, I found that unfortunately, Boston as a city hasn’t been able to do the same. An incident at a new nightclub called “Cure” was brought to my attention that showed just how far we, as a city and a nation, still have to go.

In summary, a Harvard Business School organization called Triumph had organized a night event for current Harvard/Yale students and alumni to end the Harvard/Yale weekend. Unfortunately, several race-related problems arose that ended in the early conclusion of the party. In particular, there were concerns from Cure management and staff that the large numbers of Black students outside the club would invite negative attention, potentially attracting “local gangbangers” (management’s word) to the scene. See this link for a full account of the story: http://jezebel.com/5696308/club-mistakes-black-harvard-crowd-for-local-gangbangers

While I didn’t personally attend this event, I was invited and actually considered partaking in the festivities. I’ve been to three different events organized by this organization and can personally say that the events are always well-organized and well-attended, and it is always highly recommended that you purchase tickets in advance (especially since they normally sell out). I’m glad that I didn’t because this is the kind of attitude that shows you that no matter how intelligent you are, no matter how hard you work, and no matter how successful you become, you will still be disadvantaged based purely on the color of your skin. No, I’m not racist, and no, I don’t believe that every person who doesn't look like me is racist. But I do think that in an age where Obama’s election has somehow become a symbol for overcoming racism, it’s so important to remember that a struggle still remains. If any of you reading this are minorities considering coming to HSPH, just know that while the name Harvard will inevitably provide you with opportunities and respect, the challenges you may have been facing based on you minority status all these years do not magically melt away. And for those of you who are not minorities, you have a role to play here, too, keeping an open mind and correcting comments made that are made purely by stereotype. For me, that’s largely what inspired me to work with the Office of Diversity, hoping to be able to minimize the barriers that we face. I’m going to continue investigating this incident – particularly as it seems that a potential lawsuit may come out of it – and I’ll continue to keep you all posted.

Alla prossima (a little Italian for you!)

Racism is a man’s gravest threat to an – the maximum of hatred for a minimum reason.
-From Jewish theologian and philosopher Abraham J. Heschel