Global Health Research Projects
“My goal is to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to meet the safety and health challenges of their current and future work.”
International Research Collaboration to Study HIV Stigma Among Adolescents in Kenya
Will Story, assistant professor in the University of Iowa (UI) College of Public Health, and Nema Aluku, research associate at Tangaza University College in Nairobi, Kenya, were recently awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study HIV stigma among adolescents in western Kenya. The study represents a promising international collaboration with significant public health insights. Learn more about this important research project through the Q&A below with Dr. Story and Dr. Aluku.
Study finds pregnant Venezuelan refugees have worse birth outcomes than Colombian women
A new study from researchers at the University of Iowa College of Public Health and the National University of Colombia suggests that pregnant Venezuelan refugees in Colombia face significant health care barriers that result in worse birth outcomes when compared to native Colombians.
Critical Language Scholarship Winner Anna Correa to Study Hindi Virtually This Summer
University of Iowa student Anna Correa of Clive, Iowa, has been awarded a 2021 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for a virtual intensive language and cultural program to study Hindi this summer. The CLS scholarship is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Romitti participates in release of a new toolkit for global birth defects surveillance
In his role as executive committee chair for the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR), Paul Romitti, professor of epidemiology, recently participated in a World Health Organization (WHO) webinar to release a new global resource to support population-based surveillance programs for birth defects.
Podcast: Global public health – mental health, trauma, and the COVID-19 pandemic
This second episode of our global public health series focuses on mental health. Alexis and Steve talk to Rafael Muñoz, CEO of Human Reinvention based in Ecuador. He shares his thoughts on mental health and trauma as public health issues as well as how the pandemic is impacting the mental health of individuals.
Winners of the 2020 Global Public Health Case Competition announced
Congratulations to the students who participated in the 2020 Global Public Health Case Competition! The teams were composed of UI students from 4 colleges, 12 departments/disciplines, 9 degree programs, and a mix of undergraduate and graduate students. The teams addressed the topic “Chronic Disease Amongst Detained Migrant Populations in Chiapas, Mexico.” The winning teams were awarded cash prizes.
Podcast: Violence, trauma, and social determinants in Africa and Hong Kong
From the Front Row: This episode features a roundtable discussion between CPH students Oge Chigbo, Toluwani Adekunle, and Megan Pospisil. The three discuss examples of ongoing human rights violations in Africa and China and how they relate to global public health.
Building Capacity to Reduce HIV-Related Stigma among Adolescents in Western Kenya
Eight new awards were funded through Fogarty’s Reducing Stigma to Improve HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) program, totaling approximately $3 million in support over the next two years. The awards are intended to spur development of innovative interventions to reduce stigma in LMICs, including among particularly marginalized or vulnerable communities, such as adolescent girls, people who inject drugs, and caregivers and children of people living with HIV.
As New Global Crises Emerge, Climate Change Continues
Globally and nationally, people are experiencing a multitude of crises. All at once, individuals are feeling the impact of a global pandemic, police brutality and the continuing effects of climate change. On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer is joined by experts in environmental health and sustainability for a look at the intersection of these global crises. Featuring Peter Thorne, professor and head of of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa
CPH alumnus featured in Netflix docuseries
A College of Public Health alumnus is featured prominently in a new Netflix documentary series released last week. The series, “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak” bills itself as docuseries in which viewers “meet the heroes on the front lines of the battle against influenza and learn about their efforts to stop the next global outbreak.”
Podcast: Global Environmental Health Chat
In this podcast, we will hear from two CBPR practitioners who participated in the workshop in Delhi, India. First, we will hear from Edith Parker, a well-known practitioner of CBPR at the University of Iowa School of Public Health. She’ll explain how CBPR benefited her work in rural communities, and how she connected with Rajesh Tandon, founder of Participatory Research in Asia, or PRIA. Then, we’ll hear from Tandon himself, as he discusses how India utilizes CBPR today, and how he hopes it might create a better future for the country.
A Taste of Fieldwork in Xicotepec, Mexico
Thousands of tourists flock to Mexico for spring break every year, but few of them conduct field research during their visit like a group of University of Iowa students did in March. Dubbing themselves the Public Health Posse, the team of seven undergraduate and graduate students along with instructor Brandi Janssen traveled to Xicotepec, a small city in central-eastern Mexico, as part of a weeklong, interdisciplinary service-learning course. Coordinated with the support of Rotary International, the course has developed long-standing service projects with the UI colleges of pharmacy and dentistry. It was the first year that a group of public health students took part.
Peek-Asa participates in planning global violence prevention workshop
Corinne Peek-Asa, associate dean for research and professor of occupational and environmental health in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, served on the planning committee for a National Academy of Medicine Global Violence Prevention Forum workshop held May 16-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C. The workshop, “Interpersonal Violence Syndemics and Co-occurring Epidemics: Preventing Violence in the Context of Opioid Misuse, Suicide, Social Disparities, and HIV,” explored interconnections between these global public health issues and possible prevention and intervention strategies.
UI Partners with Congolese Community for Pregnancy Health Research
For nearly two years, the UI has partnered with the local Congolese community to identify cultural differences in health care and educate both immigrants and medical providers on how to facilitate more appropriate prenatal and pregnancy care.
UI student Michael Parisi-Mercado awarded Fulbright for research in Romania
During my time in Romania in 2017, I learned about different challenges faced by pharmacists in Romania as it relates to public health and the evolution of their role in society. This inspired me to identify ways in which pharmacists can help improve the health of populations; specifically, how to care for patients living with HIV/AIDS in the most culturally appropriate way.
How Do You Solve a Problem Like (Hurricane) Maria?
Armed with well-researched plans, information-packed slides, and seamless teamwork, six student teams competed for top honors and cash prizes in the inaugural IIPHRP Global Public Health Case Competition held April 4, 2018, at the College of Public Health. The multidisciplinary teams were given a case centered on the ongoing power crisis in Puerto Rico caused by the Category 5 Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Their mission: to present feasible, sustainable solutions to restore health, hope, and resiliency to Puerto Rico.
Baker appointed to national global health panel
University of Iowa faculty member Kelly Baker has been appointed to a three-year term on the National Academies Board of Global Health. The panel, comprised of global health experts representing a range of academic disciplines, carries out activities and studies aimed at advancing the health of people worldwide.
Study looks at impact of water, sanitation, and social conditions on birth outcomes in India
A new study by researchers in the University of Iowa College of Public Health examines the complex relationships between water and sanitation access and social conditions on birth outcomes among women in India. Globally, preterm birth (PTB) and low infant birth weight (LBW) are leading causes of maternal and child illnesses and death. In low-income countries, the challenges women face to meet their basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs may be a major contributor to adverse health outcomes.
UI Student Received a Fulbright Award for Research in Romania
I will be conducting a public health research study that will allow me to investigate water quality and water behavior in various rural and urban communities in Transylvania, Romania, and the impact water quality overall has on human health. Water contamination from nitrites/nitrates, pesticides, aluminum, iron, and phthalates has been a growing concern in the southern and northern areas of Romania for the past decade due to absent surveying and monitoring of private water sources.
Visceral Leishmaniasis Research in India
I traveled to India as a part of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Tropical Medicine Research Center faculty. The center is an NIH Specialized Center (P50) that is entering its 15th year of funding located at the Kala-Azar Medical Research Centre (KAMRC). I worked in and around a city called Muzaffarpur in the state of Bihar, which had the honor of being the last area of the world to eradicate smallpox.
Video: Story’s work, CPH global health initiatives featured
Will Story, CPH assistant professor of community and behavioral health, discusses his path to global public health and the UI College of Public Health’s biggest strengths and challenges in global community health.
UI Student Receives a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award for Research in Romania
I will study smoking cessation education of student pharmacists at Cluj-Napoca’s Medical University Pharmacy Faculty. I will survey students’ preparation and perceptions of smoking cessation. As a pharmacy and public health student, I plan to integrate pharmacists into the global health workforce and equip them for interventions involving patient care.
Climate Change: A scientist helps separate facts from fiction
Of the 17 record-setting hottest years, 16 have occurred since 2000. This year, 2017, is expected to continue the trend—although it’s not expected to top 2016, which took the gold for hottest year on record. Despite this increasing urgency, 2016 marked another year of disconnect between science and politics. The current president of the United States has repeatedly stated that climate change is a hoax—although he has issued contradicting statements—and listed pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement as part of his 100-day plan for his first days in office.
Global Research on Environmental Exposure
A study on pesticide exposures to farm workers in Oregon led Dr. Diane Rohlman on a path to Egypt. As one of the most hazardous industries, agricultural jobs expose workers to numerous risks, including injuries and contact with chemicals. In her work, Rohlman, Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, has collaborated with researchers from Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines and elsewhere. One of those collaborations has taken her to Egypt, to examine the health effects of organophosphorus pesticides on young Egyptian field workers.
HIV Services in Kenya
n the global fight against HIV and AIDS, there is hopeful news: The number of people who are newly infected with HIV is continuing to decline in most parts of the world, and fewer people are dying of AIDS-related illnesses. However, many regions still face significant barriers to prevention and treatment of the disease. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 74 percent of all AIDS-related deaths in 2013, according to the UNAIDS Gap Report, and young women in this region are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection.
Public Health Without Borders
When Tala Al-Rousan was training to be a doctor, she often stumped her professors with challenging questions. “Many things I asked during clinics or rotations couldn’t be answered by physicians,” Al-Rousan recalls. “They would tell me, maybe you should pursue a degree in public health because your questions are tackling social determinants of health, health disparities, and access to care.”
Growing global citizens
Discovering the world around us is a life-changing experience. When Linda Baker (’68 BA) traveled to Romania with the University of Iowa Alumni Association’s Iowa Voyagers program nearly 10 years ago, she worked for three weeks in an orphanage. It was an experience Linda Baker has not forgotten, and it’s why she and her husband, Dale Baker (’68 BA), have established scholarships to support UI students in similar endeavors. “When I returned from my own experience, I thought it would be great to be able to send students on the trip as well,” says Linda Baker.
A Passage to India
Josie Rudolphi and Maya Ramaswamy did not anticipate the leeches. The two College of Public health graduate students spent a month in summer 2015 conducting research on the working conditions of tea plantation workers in Tamil Nadu, a region of southern India. They went armed with questionnaires about occupational exposures, including strain and stress put on the body from bending or weight bearing. What they had not anticipated, however, were the leeches that found their ways into workers’ shoes and up sleeves, leaving bites and causing skin problems.
Gender disparities in water, sanitation, and global health
Celebrating World Water Day, The Lancet Editors highlighted the gains made towards Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7c, “to halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”, and noted UN-Water’s call for sustainable water management in view of future increases in demand and shortfalls in supply. As the primary water collectors worldwide, women are disproportionately affected by the scarcity of adequate resources; however, global estimates of improvements in water access do not reflect gender-disaggregated benefits and burdens.
A Quest for Clean Water
Water has been a consistent theme running through Kelly Baker’s work, one that has led her from her home state of Oklahoma to California, Mexico, India, Ghana, and elsewhere around the globe. “I’ve always been a bit of a vagrant,” says Baker, who joined the College of Public Health in 2014 as an assistant professor of occupational and environmental health. “Even before getting into global health work, I traveled a lot.”