Global Public Health Seminar in Salvador, Brazil
When I first looked into booking the travel to Brazil, I tried to find the least expensive tickets with the fewest connections. Ultimately, the trip that appealed to me the most was a trip from Atlanta to Salvador with a stop in Rio de Janeiro. This trip was not the shortest trip but it had … Continue reading SSA-GIG-ATL
No trip to Brazil would be complete without going to a soccer game. Today we had the chance to experience the madness that is Brazil futebol when we went to a game at Salvador’s stadium, Itaipaiva Arena Fonte Nova. On our cab ride to the stadium the driver joked with the girls that we would love the … Continue reading GOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!!!
Today we had the chance to meet some of the graduate students at ISC. They told us about the process of applying to ISC and what the program is like. They then each gave a brief presentation on their research and took our questions. The talk on Zika, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and microcephaly took up most … Continue reading All About School
“The measure of a civilization ultimately comes down to how people treat each other. Kindness is the basic ingredient.” These words were recently spoken by Bill Foege, former CDC director, humanitarian, and one of the most inspiring people I have known. My first few days in Salvador were filled with kindness—both observed and experienced—and I … Continue reading Kindness creates public health connections
What an interesting time to be in Brazil! The Brazilians are facing many challenges, yet in the face of adversity they continue to smile and look for the best in their situation. We started our day with Professor Maria Gloria Teixeira, the “rock star” of mosquito-borne illness in Brazil. Professor Teixeira published the article in … Continue reading A Mosquito is Not Stronger Than a Whole Country
Today began like any other: a delicious breakfast, a bumpy van ride to the Institute of Collective Health, and some top-notch Brazilian coffee. As the day progressed though, it became one of the most impactful for me in our short time spent here in Salvador. Our morning lecture from Professor Darci Neves Santos was on … Continue reading Celebrate Every Day
This is an amazing experience!!! Today was yet another adventure for the books. Our lecture was unexpected but very interesting. Dr. Federico Costa discussed the environmental and social determinants of leptospirosis in Brazil. Leptospirosis was very new to me before today but he offered a lot of insight on the issue. It’s very saddening that … Continue reading Orixá’s Pantheon
After our action-packed weekend of adventures in Lençois, today started out a bit more low-key. This morning we had a lecture at the Institute of Collective Health from Professora Monique Azevedo Esperidião; she discussed the history of Brazil’s United Health System (SUS) and the role of social participation and social control in SUS. Based on … Continue reading Crossroads
This past weekend was a nice change of pace for everybody (well except for the hiking). Nonetheless, Lençoís was a beautiful and magical place full of history and natural wonders such as caves and waterfalls. The trip began with a long bus ride (6 hrs or so) with two other groups from Nebraska and BYU. … Continue reading Everybody needs a little vacation!
On Saturday, we boarded the tour bus to go to Lençoís. On the way, we picked up Clara Ramos who is the coordinator of all things cultural (and perhaps all things…) for our program. When she stepped onto the bus, her shirt said “Keep Calm and Let Clara Handle It”. It had a crown on … Continue reading Keep Calm and Let Clara Handle It