IHP Health and Community: Globalization, Culture, and Care (Spring 2)

Please note that in order to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, program locations can vary from year to year.

Spring Option 2 Program Sites

Washington, DC, USA

(2 weeks)
Coordinated by Jeremy Ogusky
The seat of government for one of the richest nations in the world and hub of international policymaking, Washington, DC, is also home to among the poorest neighborhoods in the United States. Hear from global health experts from the World Bank, influential think tanks, and international NGOs, while observing firsthand how health inequities affect those living within earshot of the halls of world political power. Investigate the many social determinants of health, such as gender, housing, racism, and income. How have imbalances in these factors led to some of our country’s worst health outcomes. Over the course of the two weeks in DC, students will gain deeper insight into the many challenges of and solutions to health and disease at the national and local levels, while setting the stage for their exploration of similar issues internationally. Students will explore the diverse neighborhoods and local NGOs of DC; meet with community leaders, activists, and government officials; and begin to develop their own toolbox for effecting change by participating in policy advocacy in the halls of our nation’s capital. Students will also delve into the four interdisciplinary courses that make up the Health and Community program, while connecting with new friends and exploring the political heart of the nation.
Sao Paulo, Brazil

(4 weeks)
Coordinated by Glenda de la Fuente
The world has its eyes on Brazil. A throbbing center of rich and varied cultural life in Latin America for decades, Brazil has emerged as a major economy and model of participatory democracy. After a period of military dictatorship, Brazil’s new constitution, sanctioned in 1988, established health as a fundamental social right and called for access to social and medical care services for all citizens without discrimination on the basis of skin color, income, social status, or gender. What is the reality in 2011? Sao Paulo, the largest city in the Americas and a cultural melting pot, is an ideal place to study the progress and problems of Brazil. Witness model HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs in action and consider how they differ from programs in South Africa, Vietnam, and the United States. Although successful in some ways, why does Brazil continue to see wide variations in child and maternal mortality and rates of infectious disease? What can pockets of success show us about the way forward in other regions of the country, in the United States, and throughout the world? Other themes will include migrant health on the sugar plantations that fuel Brazil's growing biodiesel industry; “social medicine” as it relates to violence reduction; and family planning, sexuality, and reproductive health.
Hanoi, Vietnam

(5 weeks)
Coordinated by Vu Cong Nguyen
One of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and rapidly developing nations, Vietnam has succeeded in dramatically reducing poverty, yet considerable challenges remain. The most vexing health-related issues include an HIV/AIDS epidemic that threatens to become widespread; the enormous demands placed on health systems from rising rural-to-urban migration; widening inequalities; and worsening environmental conditions. The whirring of motorbikes, the calls of fresh fruit vendors, and the clang of new building projects are sounds that fill the air in Hanoi, where students will be hosted by the Family Health Research and Development Center of CIHP. This dynamic NGO, formed by experienced public health experts, implements a range of health research and development programs, such as an online HIV/AIDS and sexuality counseling service for teens. The Hanoi School of Public Health, Vietnam’s premier public health institution -- known for its applied teaching approach utilizing an array of urban and rural field sites -- will serve as co-hosts. This combination will provide a rare opportunity to study with Vietnam’s finest public health professionals and observe, first-hand, creative efforts to resolve some of the country’s most vexing problems through visits to project and field sites. The program will include homestays in Hanoi, as well as excursions to surrounding rural areas.
Cape Town, South Africa

(5 weeks)
Coordinated by Angela Mias
South Africa, with its history of apartheid, brings into sharp focus the role of race in determining health. Reflect on how social and health inequities are manifest in India, China, and in your own country(ies) as compared to South Africa. Homestays in a small community in Cape Town and in a rural black township allow students to see and experience, firsthand, how recent change in political structure affects health and community life—in profoundly positive ways as grassroots health activism is burgeoning, and in equally disturbing ways, as deep disparities in health persist. The urgency of the HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics is nowhere more visible. Hear from and interact with community activists, physicians, public health practitioners and officials as they seek to understand how and why the HIV/AIDS epidemic has ravaged communities in South Africa. Farmland, pesticides and health will be the environmental focus of the program, and students will be challenged to understand domestic and political violence in the context of the country’s social relations. Amidst the multiple public health “crises” that face South Africa, probe the promise of community activism as a transforming influence in the lives of all people. The program concludes with a three-day retreat in a serene setting in the beautiful hills outside of Cape Town. Students will synthesize their academic work, personal journeys and the challenges of re-entry. It is a celebration and culmination of learning and community life.

Credits: 16

Duration: Spring, 16 weeks

Program Sites:
United States, Brazil, Vietnam, South Africa

Prerequisites: None. Coursework in public health, anthropology, biology, or related field recommended. Learn More...

Spring Option 2 Itinerary

Other Program Options:

Fall Itinerary

Spring 1 Itinerary

View Student Evaluations for this program:

About the Evaluations (PDF)

Spring 2012 Evaluations

Phone:
888.272.7881 (toll-free in US)
802.258.3212

TTY:
802.258.3388

Fax:
802.258.3296

Mailing Address:
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA

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