Last year my dear friend and I were looking for an adventure: we are both applying for graduate schools for the Fall 2010 and decided we needed to do "something" before re-committing to school. My friend (her name is Shanley) and I share, among other things, an interest in healthcare and travel. While she is applying to medical schools, I am applying for Masters and PhD programs in Public Health and Medical Anthropology. So it seemed fitting that our adventure should not only be something to help us grow as individuals, but also to help jump start our education/careers in healthcare (whereby also helping other people).
After some dedicated online searching, as well as in-person testimonials, we were eager to apply to the public health programs in South Africa through Child Family Helath International (CFHI). Shanley and I knew selection for the programs was limited and we were both nervous about the application process, but in the end, we were both accepted by CFHI to participate in their "Healthcare Challenges and HIV/AIDS" programs in South Africa for the spring of 2010.
So the adventure begins! I will be departing Seattle, WA in the middle of March and returning early June, 2010. During that time I will be spending 4 weeks in Cape Town and 4 weeks in Durban, South Africa. I will experience first-hand the healthcare challenges facing South Africa, where, under the Apartheid regime, the vast majority of people had limited or no healthcare until the 1990s. I will also be working alongside local healthcare professionals in clinics and hospitals, which serve as a critical battleground for the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The program experience will truly be an opportunity for me to learn more about health issues that transcend national borders, class, ethnicity, and cultural divisions. As I prepare to return to academia in the Fall 2010 to continue my education in Public Health and Medical Anthropology, I anticipate my time in South Africa to be an invaluable starting point.
