Colonialism, Civil War, and Ebola: Historical Perspectives On Contemporary Healthcare in Sierra Leone

BY ELIJAH RAMI British Army Sergeant Sulaiman Kamara meets Ebola survivors in Magazine Wharf, Freetown. Source: DFID. During the mid-twentieth century, the British Empire rapidly succumbed to a striking decline. After the Second World War, its colonies in Africa and the Caribbean in particular witnessed a wave of nationalist movements that began to call for … Continue reading Colonialism, Civil War, and Ebola: Historical Perspectives On Contemporary Healthcare in Sierra Leone

Healthcare: Is there only one correct answer?

BY ELIZABETH LI The United States (US) healthcare system and the European healthcare system are ideologically and functionally different. When it comes to rankings, the US consistently ranks below other countries, such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in terms of life expectancy and health-care spending per capita. This disparity in the rankings begs … Continue reading Healthcare: Is there only one correct answer?

Delhi’s Air Pollution and Its Effects on Children’s Health

BY REBECCA SLUTSKY Children stand by the side of the street on their way to school. Source: Thomas Schoch. Which of our world’s cities has the worst air pollution? According to the World Health Organization, it’s Delhi, the capital of India.1 Although air pollution affects the entire population of this metropolis, Delhi’s children are the … Continue reading Delhi’s Air Pollution and Its Effects on Children’s Health

Q&A: Dr. Seth Wanye on Eye Care in Developing Countries

BY KAI DEBUS Dr. Wanye's clinic in Ghana. Source: Kai DeBus. Seth Wanye (MD, PhD) is an ophthalmologist in Ghana, a lower-middle income country in West Africa. His focus is to make healthcare, specifically ophthalmic care, more accessible to people in remote areas. In 2005, he partnered with Unite for Sight, a non-profit based in … Continue reading Q&A: Dr. Seth Wanye on Eye Care in Developing Countries

Bringing Sustainable Healthcare to Under-Resourced Populations: Field Experiences from OneWorld Health

BY ONEWORLD HEALTH Global health is a rapidly growing field, and the need to improve access to high-quality care in developing countries has become increasingly apparent. Various charitable organizations, missionaries, and NGOs have attempted to supplement the health care provided by the government with short-term relief efforts. However, there is still a desperate need for … Continue reading Bringing Sustainable Healthcare to Under-Resourced Populations: Field Experiences from OneWorld Health

Female Genital Mutilation: A Global Health Perspective

BY JESSICA SCHMERLER Imagine a procedure in which a child is cut in a highly personal area in a highly painful manner, with no say in the matter whatsoever. Associated with this procedure are complications ranging from infection and bleeding all the way to death. From many perspectives, this procedure is a violation of the … Continue reading Female Genital Mutilation: A Global Health Perspective

A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Fight Cancer

BY GRACIE JIN Lei gong teng, or the thunder god vine. Source: Wikimedia Commons. In September, a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine discovered that the addition of glucose, a simple sugar, could transform a plant extract into a drug with potentially anti-cancer effects. To put it another way, Mary Poppin’s … Continue reading A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Fight Cancer

Gaining Ground: Implementation Research and Viral Load Monitoring in Kampala, Uganda

BY ISLA HUTCHINSON MADDOX HIV/AIDS and Viral Load Monitoring in Uganda At the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa in July 2016, a prevailing sense of optimism filled the room as thousands of the brightest minds in HIV/AIDS research and care flooded the Durban International Convention Centre. This annual conference provides a unique … Continue reading Gaining Ground: Implementation Research and Viral Load Monitoring in Kampala, Uganda

Jamaica’s Nursing Problem

BY AKHIL UPNEJA On January 10th, 2017, NPR published a piece highlighting the dire shortage of specialized nurses in Jamaica. Jamaica’s nursing population numbers 4500, with 1000 of these nurses specialized to work in urgent-care facilities such as intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency rooms.1 However, over the past few years, there has been a … Continue reading Jamaica’s Nursing Problem

Public Policy in Chinese and Indian Public Hospitals

BY JING (SARAH) SHEN China The Chinese public hospital system is widely influenced by its federal policy towards healthcare. With shifts in policy in the past century, the country rapidly reformed its healthcare system . In the 20th century China’s economy underwent drastic changes from being a centrally planned, command economy to a capitalist, market-based … Continue reading Public Policy in Chinese and Indian Public Hospitals