The beginning of the end...

I can't believe how time flies. A year ago, I nervously went through the motions of my UNC-CH Masters program orientation. I met professors and classmates who would soon become mentors and best friends. I timidly weaved my way around the public health buildings and health sciences library. Just one year later, I am on the other side, helping first year students with their orientation. It is a surreal feeling to be back in school and preparing for my final year at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. It feels like I wrestled with the thought of graduate school for years and then spent time studying for the GRE and perfecting my application. Now, here I am, the beginning of the end of it all. I'm excited and eager for that type of learning and stimulation that you get from a room full of classmates with so much knowledge and experience. I can't wait to reconnect with my friends who have been all over the world this summer doing internships but have now returned to Chapel Hill to finish up this adventure with me. I've never felt so motivated, which I think is partly due to how much I love my work at IntraHealth on CapacityPlus. I'm ready and set to go - 264 days until graduation!

Gender and Public Health

This week has flown by! I am finally caught up on all the CapacityPlus emails that came thru while I was in Kenya and Canada. I was nervous that after nearly 3 months of leave from the project that it would be hard to get back up to speed. However, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I feel nearly up to date on all of my work with the project's PSE, ISE and CPD work. We have so many exciting and innovative plans for year two of the project - stay tuned!

Today I attended a Gender 101 training at FHI. The intent was to train us to be able to go in the field and train our programmatic colleagues on how to think about gender, how to integrate it into programs and how to write a gender analysis plan. In our field we call this training at "TOT" or training of trainers. One of the facilitators actually conducted this gender training in my Family Planning/Reproductive Health class this past spring so I was familiar with a lot of the material. It was interesting to learn how to deliver that same training I had received only a few months earlier.

After the day-long workshop, I was reflecting on gender in public health. It is not a new concept but it seems that these days, the light is shining brighter on ensuring gender equity and gender equality in public health programs. When Obama's Global Health Initiative (GHI) debuted this year, guiding principles for a Women Centered Approach called for "support for a right to health for all women, men, children and youth" and "meaningful participation of women in planning, decision-making, monitoring and evaluation", among other things. Recently, the GHI changed this from the "Women Centered Approach" to "Women, Girls and Gender Equality Principle". I really like this because gender is about much more than women.

Also, USAID's ADR now calls for gender analysis plans to be part of all programs. In the past, gender analysis plans were a nice supplement to proposals and workplans but now with federal regulations requiring them, a stronger emphasis is being placed on planning and integrating gender into our work.

So where is gender in our work? Answer: it really is everywhere and not just in developing countries. In public health, the goal is to promote gender equality for men and women by changing behaviors, attitudes and practices that are harmful to their health. By addressing gender norms and breaking down barriers that prevent women and men fair and equal access to healthcare, public health programs can achieve gender awareness and transformation. In the PNA I did this summer in Kenya, gender was one of the main research questions. In our assessment tools, we looked for qualitative and quantitative data on how gender played a role in health worker training both from the perspective of student and instructor. If young women do not feel they are able to receive the same education as young men because they are women, then there is clear gender bias to address in health worker education. (Note: this is a hypothetical statement, not a finding of the Kenya PNA)

The best part of a training, like the one I attended today, is learning about what other people are doing. Whether you are in public health or not, you have experience in gender. Why not share with me what you have learned, what you found challenging, or what you want to know more about? Post a comment and let's discuss gender in public health! I'm curious to see if this can be interactive!

Canada Brings Good News!

Vacation does a soul good! My trip to Canada did my soul and spirit very good! Here are some highlights...

Our first stop was Ottawa, Canada's capital. Canals, gorgeous architecture and markets along cobblestone streets made Ottawa a charming, quaint city. My favorite part was the parliament light show. Below is a picture of the parliament building - imagine a light show projected on this entire building. It was stunning! I've also added a picture of sunset in Ottawa - one side of the river is Quebec and the other side is Ontario.

Next up was Montreal. The old part of Montreal was so beautiful and Chris and I loved strolling these streets, stopping in shops or for coffee. But the best part of our visit to Montreal was the fine dining! We had an out-of-this world dinner at Europea (www.europea.ca). My taste buds went on a roller coaster ride with the sensational tastes of lobster cream cappuccino with truffle oil, parsnip puree, confit tomatoes with fresh thyme and honey, braised veal cheeks, and an array of deserts including apricot marshmallows, rasberry cream cookies and cotton candy! And would you believe the day after this amazing dinner, we had a delicious brunch in a beautiful "jardin" in Old Montreal? I am eager to return to Montreal to just eat!

After Montreal, we took an 18 hour train ride to New Brunswick. During our tour of the maritimes, we kayaked in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick and toured the lighthouses and Anne of Green Gables' stomping ground in Prince Edward Island. We also went whale watching - one of the coolest experiences of my life. We saw birds, porpoises, seals and lots of whales! You feel so small when you see a large fin whale surface near your boat. They weigh a mere 60 tons.

New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were gorgeous. I love being near the water and driving along lush fields that back up to lighthouses along the coast was amazing. Enjoy these pictures of a lighthouse on PEI, where we were kayaking at the Bay of Fundy's flowerpot rocks and cute seals from whale watching!

Toward the end of my trip I received some very good news - I was awarded a FLAS (Foreign Language Area Studies) scholarship! I am extremely excited and honored to have received this from the African Studies Center at UNC. The scholarship will cover my tuition and fees my final year of school as well as a provide a healthy stipend. This combined with a place on the MCH Leadership Consortium is a huge boost for my grad school morale. I'm so ready to get started!

Tomorrow I will return to work and I am actually very excited! Most people dread going back after vacation but I feel so invigorated by my studies and my job. Vacation was just the respite I needed to motivate me kick ass in global public health!