The Latest News from VIGH

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Master of Public Health (MPH) student in the Global Health track, Roberta Hutton, is completing her practicum and thesis work at the Central American Medical Outreach Foundation (CAMO) in western Honduras.  On her experience, Roberta writes, "At the Central American Medical Outreach Foundation (CAMO) in western Honduras I helped create an extensive monitoring and evaluation system for the nursing capacitation program at a local hospital through focus groups, interviews, data-flow analysis and protocol development.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Master of Public Health (MPH) student in the Global Health track and PRISM Scholar, Salesio Macuacua, M.D., completed his practicum at Barretos Cancer Hospital in Brazil.  The Vanderbilt Master of Public Health (MPH) Program is a two-year interdisciplinary program offered through the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The

Carol Etherington, MSN, RN, FAAN was recently elected as Chair of the Metropolitan Board of Health of Nashville and Davidson County. Etherington replaces Sam Felker, J.D., who completed his term as Chair, but will continue as a Board member.  Board members elected Etherington at their June meeting.  She has served as Vice Chair since 2014 and as a Board Member since 2009.  Board members elected Francisca Guzman as Vice Chair.  Guzman has been a Board of Health member since 2014.

Health Counselors Improve Patient Satisfaction in Quelimane Farias Fernando Romane recently moved from the Coalane neighborhood to Canecos, within Quelimane District. The move meant that he also changed the health facility where he receives HIV care. When our team met him, it was only his second visit to 24 de Julho Health Center. He was already pleased with the quality of care he has been receiving.

Researchers in the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health are testing whether a unique “couples-centered” intervention developed in the southern African nation of Mozambique can reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Participative Theatre Transforms a Life in Namacurra Ducha António was first diagnosed with HIV in 2008, during an antenatal consultation. She was just sixteen years old and did not fully understand what HIV was or the impact it could have on her life. She refused treatment for herself, and she was also reluctant to have her infant daughter tested. “I was a teenager with little knowledge of things, so I just ignored treatment.”

In support of the Fogarty International Center, Dr. Doug Heimburger, VIGH Associate Director, co-authored a perspective piece published in this week’s edition of The New England Journal of Medicine. For 50 years, Fogarty has supported global health research conducted by U.S. and international scientists. By building relationships with international partners, they seek to advance science while training the next generation of scientists equipped to address global health needs.

2017 Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Master of Public Health Commencement and Receptions Congratulations to all!

Global health scientists from around the world who attended the 2017 annual meeting of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health display wristbands to show solidarity in support of [or show gratitude for support from] the NIH Fogarty International Center. Since 2012, the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) has directed one of five Fogarty Global Health Fellows training consortia, and from 2007 to 2012, VIGH administered the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows Program worldwide.

Teletónio Samuel Rangeiro is a married 23 year old who lives with his wife, Hernésia Tomé, 22, in Seresse, a rural community outside of Zambézia’s provincial capital of Quelimane. When Teletónio’s wife became pregnant, he surprised many people in his community by accompanying his wife to all of her antenatal care (ANC) visits at the Maquival health facility and continued doing so after the delivery of their healthy twins—an unusual practice for men in this community.

By Rui Esmael Dreams Can Come True: Over a decade on combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) with two HIV-uninfected daughters

2017 Vanderbilt University-Mozambique Collaborative Research Ethics Education Program Participants  

World Malaria Day 2017, observed on Tuesday, April 25, seeks to raise awareness and highlight the need to close the gap in access to malaria prevention tools. While the burden of disease continues to decline, efforts to improve access to interventions that prevent, diagnose and treat malaria are needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals of malaria elimination by 2030, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where malaria is most prevalent.

Current and past fellows, and faculty of the UNZA-Vanderbilt Training Partnership for HIV-Nutrition Research (UVP). The program is supported by the Fogarty International Center.  

In February, the VIGH Student Advisory Council hosted its seventh annual university-wide global health case competition. This year, the competition was held in conjunction with Vanderbilt’s first “Haiti Week,” co-hosted by VIGH and the Vanderbilt Center for Latin American Studies.

To raise awareness of university opportunities to engage with Africa, Vanderbilt will host its first-ever Africa Week April 2-7. 

In the rich farmlands of Birua Village, in Furquia Locality, Namacurra District, Zambézia Province, lives 52 year old Paulina Raposo. She has been a traditional birth attendant for 36 years.