Posted on

Exploring Healthcare and Community Engagement in Brazil: A Journey of Discovery

Colorful brick model of the city with a sign for Projeto Morrinho

Pictured above: Project Morrinho – a social and cultural project based out of the Favelas is a 450m² model of the city constructed from bricks and other recycled materials By Medha Iyer Rose Service Learning Fellow SM Candidate, Department of Global Health and Populations “Bom dia! Tudo bem?” This, followed by a warm hug and a smile, was the customary introduction from nearly everyone I encountered in Brazil. My voyage…

Continue reading “Exploring Healthcare and Community Engagement in Brazil: A Journey of Discovery”

Posted on

Knock, knock. Who’s there: A Mobile Clinic, an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, and an Open Mind

The direct service team in front of the van

Pictured above: Direct Service Team in front of the Family Van By Janae Briggs Rose Service Learning Fellow SM Candidate, Department of Epidemiology “I’m honestly open to filling in wherever you need help,” I said in the Spring 2023 semester over my first Zoom call with Mollie Williams, the Executive Director of The Family Van. The Family Van, a mobile clinic in Boston, has traveled across the city over the…

Continue reading “Knock, knock. Who’s there: A Mobile Clinic, an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, and an Open Mind”

Posted on

Community voices: developing strategies for early pregnancy disclosure in Ethiopia

Men writing on posters with a wall of sticky notes in the background

Pictured above: Community Advisory Board members discuss strategies to encourage early pregnancy disclosure and care. By Clara Pons Duran Rose Service Learning Fellow Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Epidemiology I’m in Ethiopia, sitting in a car. While I observe the fields and witness the construction of some factories and big buildings that will transform the landscape in the next few years, I reflect on my recent experiences.   My…

Continue reading “Community voices: developing strategies for early pregnancy disclosure in Ethiopia”

Posted on

Shifting the Narrative

Travelers Hotel in Clarksdale Mississippi

Pictured above: Located in downtown Clarksdale MS, the Travelers Hotel employs artists in exchange for free housing. Photo courtesy of Ann Williams. Mississippi has reached a record ranking and is no longer last in the nation for K-12 achievement, announced Tom Pittman at the recent opening of this year’s Delta Directions Regional Forum. The Forum takes place annually in Clarksdale, MS and Tom, now serving as President Emeritus of the…

Continue reading “Shifting the Narrative”

Posted on

Advice for Working with Community

Fellows from the Fall 2022 cohort

“Listen to everyone! The community is made up of so many diverse people and everyone has something unique to share.”  “Be patient. Although your project is #1 priority to you, the organization has 20 other urgent topics they are working on.”  “Be mindful of layers and multiplicity of experience that happens within a community – don’t overgeneralize.”  “Try your best to take off the Harvard cap and jacket!! And be…

Continue reading “Advice for Working with Community”

Posted on

“The Water Guy”: My Reflections Studying Water Systems in Rural Honduras

Hand full of sediment over water pump

Pictured above: Local volunteer holds sediment at risk of contaminating spring water collection site in Santa Lucia, Honduras. By Nava Barman Rose Service Learning Fellow MPH Candidate, Global Health Background When I visited Intibucá, Honduras for the first time as an undergraduate in 2017, I was struck by its similarity to my family’s hometown in Northeast India. Tucked away in the mountains away from any major city, life is more…

Continue reading ““The Water Guy”: My Reflections Studying Water Systems in Rural Honduras”

Posted on

Reflections on Field Based Experience: A Lesson I Learned From Female Head Porters Popularly Known As “Kayayei” In Accra Ghana

By Ruth Zeto Rose Service Learning Fellow MPH Candidate, Global Health Growing up in Ghana, I saw teenage girls like me carry aluminum pans on their head with goods from one part of the market to the other for income. Not only teenage girls did I see, but also women. On the busy streets of major cities like Kumasi and Accra, they can easily be spotted with aluminum pans with…

Continue reading “Reflections on Field Based Experience: A Lesson I Learned From Female Head Porters Popularly Known As “Kayayei” In Accra Ghana”

Posted on

Launching the 10th Cohort of Rose Service Learning Fellows

Hailu Tamiru, Teguo Djoyum, Erin McGuinness and Kevin Linn

Pictured above: DrPH students awarded Rose Service Learning Fellowships are among 14 fellows in the Fall 2022 cohort. (From Left to Right: Hailu Dhufera, Teguo Djoyum, Erin McGuinness and Kevin Linn)   In its fifth year of supporting students and post-doctoral fellows in community engaged research and practice, the Rose Service Learning Fellowship launched its 10th cohort of fellows on Wednesday December 7.  Thirteen students and one post-doctoral fellow will be…

Continue reading “Launching the 10th Cohort of Rose Service Learning Fellows”

Posted on

Student Field Post: Health in Artisanal Miners Communities: The Harsh Realities of Cobalt Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cobalt mine in Democratic Republic of Congo

By Benita Kayembe Rose Service Learning Fellow SM Candidate, Global Health and Population When talking about the economic development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is usual to hear people highlight how rich this country is in natural resources. The Congo is indeed rich in natural resources and lately has been at the center of discussions regarding Cobalt since up to 60% of the global reserve of this…

Continue reading “Student Field Post: Health in Artisanal Miners Communities: The Harsh Realities of Cobalt Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”

Posted on

Student Field Post: Connecting with the Massachusetts Firearm Community on Matters of Lead Exposure

Participants holding up target in front of an American flag backdrop

By Christian Hoover Rose Service Learning Fellow MPH Candidate, Department of Health Policy and Management In 2021, my research team made an alarming discovery: children living in communities with more gun licenses, or more lead ammunition, had higher blood lead levels than children from lower-licensed communities. When a gun is discharged, lead dust explodes into the air. This dust is inhaled by the shooter, leading to a primary exposure. Additional…

Continue reading “Student Field Post: Connecting with the Massachusetts Firearm Community on Matters of Lead Exposure”