Transcript Minority Health and Health Disparities International

Minority Health and
Health Disparities
International
Research and Training
(MHIRT)
Program
Sponsors
The Center for International
Rural and Environmental
Health (CIREH)
• interdisciplinary program
dedicated to research, training
and education concerning
global issues in public health
• Special concentration on issues
concerning environmental and
occupational health
• focus on countries with
substantial agrarian
economies and countries with
new democracies
The Iowa Biosciences
Advantage (IBA)
• Mission: maximize diversity
in the biosciences
• Science majors with an
interest in diversity gain
research experience with
cutting-edge faculty and
benefit from professional
development seminars and a
strong community of people
with similar interests
The MHIRT program is funded by
the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Program Staff
• Tom Cook, Director of CIREH and MHIRT
Program Director
• Kristina Venzke, MHIRT Program Coordinator
• Danielle Dahl, CIREH Secretary
• Sarah England, Director, IBA
• Jodi Linley, Assistant Director, IBA
• Jessica Tellez, Program Assistant, IBA
Purpose of Award
Because of the significant
disparity in the overall rate of
disease incidence, prevalence,
morbidity, mortality and survival
rates in minority populations as
compared to the health status of
the general population, there is a
national need for increasing the
number of well-trained minority
scientists and scientists from
medically underserved regions of
the US in the fields of biomedical,
clinical, behavioral, and health
services.
Purpose of Award
According to the Institute of Medicine, "for the health
professionals, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare . .
. will be among the most significant challenges of today's
rapidly changing health system." And, "from a public
health standpoint, racial and ethnic disparities in
healthcare threaten to hamper efforts to improve the
nation's health."
“Medically underserved” refers to individuals that lack access
to primary and specialty care either because they are
socioeconomically disadvantaged and may or may not live
in areas with high poverty rates or because they reside in
underserved areas. Geographic isolation, socio-economic
status, health risk behaviors, and limited job opportunities
contribute to health disparities in underserved
communities.
Purpose of Award
• The health gap between minority and nonminority Americans has persisted, and in some
cases, has increased in recent years. The inclusion
of underrepresented populations, such as minority
populations, the medically underserved, and
women in the scientific, technological and
engineering workforce will enable society to better
address its diverse needs.
Purpose of Award
• A primary objective of the MHIRT program is to
effectively recruit and retain underrepresented
minorities and students from medicallyunderserved backgrounds who wish to matriculate
into biomedical research training programs
leading to Ph.D.s, M.D./Ph.D.s, D.D.S./Ph.D.s or
MPH/Ph.D.s.
• MHIRT training is not viewed as merely an
isolated international training opportunity but
rather as part of a comprehensive program of
nurturing and developing individuals from health
disparities populations to become productive
biomedical and behavioral health researchers.
Eligibility
• Must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States,
or have been lawfully admitted to the United States for
permanent residence (i.e. possess a currently valid Alien
Registration Receipt Card I-551, or other legal verification of
such status)
• Non-citizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the
United States (e.g. American Samoa). Individuals on temporary or student visas
are not eligible to participate in the MHIRT program
• Must be from health disparities populations that have been
determined to be under-represented in basic science, clinical,
biomedical or behavioral health research, including, but not
limited to:
• African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives,
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and the medically underserved (i.e.,
socio-economically disadvantaged individuals in rural and urban areas). For
more information on the definition of a medically underserved area, please
contact our office or refer to the HRSA website:
http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/HPSASearch.aspx
Eligibility
• Participants must be currently enrolled in a degreeseeking program, or provide proof of imminent
acceptance to a degree-seeking program, at the time of
submission of the MHIRT application
• Undergraduates must have completed three years of coursework in a
major related to biomedical or behavioral health science
• Minimum GPA: 3.0
• Priority considerations shall be given to the following:
• Students attending the University of Iowa or the University of
Northern Iowa; and
• Students that can demonstrate financial need (e.g. copies of need-based
awards and/or of University financial aid award letter).
• Undergraduate and graduate/professional students with
senior status are eligible provided they are able to
comply with the obligations (stated below) to MHIRT.
Terms of the Award
Duration:
• The summer internship will last a minimum of ten weeks
and a maximum of twelve weeks.
Covered Expenses:
• Round trip airfare
• Stipend-$33/day
• Housing costs at host institution
• Passport, pre-departure immunizations, and insurance
expenses
Internship Placement Sites
• SLOVAKIA—Bratislava
• SLOVAKIA—Trnava
• ROMANIA—Cluj-Napoca
• THE GAMBIA—Banjul
• HONDURAS
• CROATIA (tentative)—Zagreb
• YOUR CHOICE (if you already have a
contact in that country)
SLOVAKIA, BRATISLAVA
Slovak Medical University
• Founded September 1, 2002
• Provides undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate
education of health care subjects and post-secondary
specialization studies in medicine
• SMU research and clinical studies are geared toward
solving the problems of preventive and clinical
medicine with the purpose to improve health status
and quality of life, including, but not limited to:
• public health important infections (HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, prion
diseases, salmonellosis, infections caused by enteral viruses,
nosocomial injections);
• civilization diseases, healthy lifestyles, and community
programmes (cardiovascular, immunopathologic and allergic
diseases, osteoporosis, metabolic disorders, etc.)
• environmental health research
• research in cancer and chronic degenerative diseases.
SLOVAKIA, TRNAVA
The Department of Public Health, Faculty of
Health Care & Social Work
• Established in 1994.
• Mission: to educate university-trained
professionals for nursing, rehabilitation,
public health, hygienic services and
institutions of social care
• The faculty educates specialists in the field of
Nursing, Rehabilitation, Public Health, Hygienic
Services and Institutions in the field of Social
Care in Slovakia and also in Africa.
• Projects conducted through Trnava
University specialize in:
• Public health research, health promotion and
education, especially regarding issues of health
disparities
• Immigrant health
• Migration and public health
• Romani (gypsy) health issues
ROMANIA
Center for Health Policy and Public Health
Babeş-Bolyai University
• Established within the Faculty of Political, Administrative
and Communication Sciences, "Babes-Bolyai" University Cluj,
Romania
• CHPPH Mission: to develop and support interdisciplinary collaboration
for needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of healthrelated programmes that respond to the complex needs of communities
and individuals
• Promotes an interdisciplinary approach to health sciences research
• Currently initiating a wide range of research projects with researchers
from variety of disciplines: Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Public Health,
Communication and Public Relations, Psychology, Sociology, Public
Administration, Political Sciences, Law, Economical Sciences, Geography,
Information Technology
• On-going projects include a variety of
research opportunities, such as:
• Increasing Initiation and Duration of Breastfeeding:
Factors Influencing Breastfeeding Attitudes and Behaviors
• Rural Health Information Assessment Study
• Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR)
THE GAMBIA
The Gambia School of Public Health
• Founded in 1968 initially to train Environmental Health Inspectors
and also act as a base for Health Education within the Gambian
community
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Gambian students pursuing the Higher National Degree (HND) program in the
School of Public Health are placed in a variety of units under the Department of
State for Health in order to gain firsthand experience on the nature and scope of
national mandates.
The School of Public Health also provides training to personnel at the National
Environmental Agency
The School of Public Health also works closely with the School of Medicine and the
School of Nursing and Midwifery
• The School’s new complex building at Brikama Campus has wellequipped, modern laboratories where students are trained in
analytical methods and laboratory procedures relevant to public
health and environmental health sciences
• The School of Medicine in Banjul is located next to the Royal Victoria
Hospital - a 650-bed tertiary health care institution and central
referral point for all health facilities in the country
CHINA
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
(formerly Shanghai Secondary Medical School)
• Founded in 1952 from the incorporation of St. John's Medical
College (1896~1952), Aurora Medical College (1911~1952),
and Tong-De Medical College (1918~1952)
• 12,400-member staff team and 9,900 specialists in various
fields.
• SJTUSM system includes ten colleges such as the Basic
Medical College and Clinical Medical College, six affiliated
university hospitals, 15 teaching hospitals, one vocational
nursing school, and one national nursing school
• Research initiatives: Ponsetti Project
CROATIA
The Andrija Stampar School of Public Health
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Located in Zagreb, Croatia
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Founded in 1926 and formally opened in
1927 by a group of public health workers
led by Dr Andrija Štampar, with the
financial support of the Rockefeller
Foundation
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In 1947, after World War II, the School
became independent from the Medical
School at the University of Zagreb,
taking over teaching for medical students
in preventive medicine subjects
Research work concentrated in the
fields of:
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social medicine and epidemiology
training activities
medical sociology
health ecology
environmental sanitation
microbiology
informatics and statistics
primary health care and family
medicine
Obligations to the MHIRT Program
• Students must complete a course in responsible conduct in research
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(such as 650:270:001-- Responsible Conduct in Research, or an equivalent course)
prior to the internship departure date
• Should a participant choose to conduct research involving human subjects
of their own design (rather than participate in an on-going, already
approved project coordinated by the international host institution), s/he
must complete and IRB application and receive IRB approval prior to the
internship
•
Note: this process can be lengthy! If you are considering conducting research with
human subject, please contact our office as soon as possible for further information
about this process
• Students must comply with mandatory pre-departure activities, such as
orientations and training regarding research involving human subjects
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February—TBA
April 11—Pre-departure Orientation
• During the semester following project completion, students must present
their research results as a means of sharing information and experiences,
typically at a seminar arranged by IBA and CIREH
• Students must complete a 10 page paper describing their research
projects or internship experiences
• Students must complete a program evaluation, both written and in
person, with a MHIRT staff member
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be read and evaluated by MHIRT
application committee members and awards will be made
based on how well they meet the following criteria:
• Appropriateness of assignment/project to the trainee's
academic level and career plans
• A demonstration of background knowledge of research
and/or technical skills for acquiring, processing and
interpreting information to be gathered
• Priority will be given to those who are interested in research
pertinent to reducing and/or eliminating health disparities
• Students who demonstrate financial need
Important Dates
Mandatory Orientation,
University of Iowa:
April 11th, 2009
Depart for Internship Site:
Week of May 15th, 2009
Applications Due:
DECEMBER 5, 2008
All applicants will be notified of award decisions
by Friday, December 19, 2008
Applications can be found on-line at:
http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/cireh/MHIRT