Students showcase research on global health issues

Carbon dioxide exposure in the craft brewing process, breast cancer treatment patterns in Tanzania, and the use of hippotherapy across six continents are just a few of the topics that were presented at the 2017 Global Health Showcase.

The event, sponsored by the College of Health Professions, was held October 20 in Loosemore Auditorium in the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Azizur Molla, associate professor of public health, organized the event as a way for students and faculty members to show how their projects and research help improve health for people worldwide. 

Students gave poster presentations on projects relating to global health problems like food insecurities in rural communities; health care issues in Guatemala; and female genital mutilation in the Middle East, Africa, India and Southeast Asia.

Teniola Okun, a public health graduate student, presented her research on the progress of polio in Nigeria. Okun, who is from Nigeria, said some areas of the country are seeing a decrease in the number of polio cases, while other areas are seeing a spike in numbers.

"There is concern in the northwest and northeast areas of Nigeria," said Okun. "These areas have been plagued with terrorism and so the people there are not able to receive polio vaccinations."

Stephen Hodgins, an epidemiologist and professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, Canada, gave a keynote address. Hodgins worked as a senior technical advisor with Save the Children and implemented various health intervention programs at national and global levels, including in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/shp.