The doctor and the obnoxious question

My friends will laugh but they can attest that this week, I have been smitten with a doctor who visited our class to talk about his experiences serving communities from Louisiana to Africa. RVJ is a "true product of Carolina", graduating from the University's undergraduate, medical and public health schools. Go Heels!

Why smitten? I'm not so easily swooned by a Southern accent but rather inspired and captivated by the honesty with which RVJ talked about the path that led him to becoming a doctor and obtaining an MPH. Said doctor relayed his experiences serving patients after some of the world's greatest horrors - living and providing care in the slums of Nairobi, treating patients in the SuperDome post-Katrina, and working in Jacmel, Haiti just days after the devastating earthquake. RVJ recounted his experiences evoking serious undertones of the grave situations facing his patients juxtaposed with his humor and the adventurous lens, in which he sees the world. This doctor is a great storyteller - an art I have been fortunate to appreciate from an early age. While recounting his stories, the good doctor emphasized the importance his public health degree played into the services he provided to his patients across the globe.

Tonight, RVJ was the featured speaker at the Gillings School of Global Public Health's 43rd Annual Fred T. Foard Jr. Memorial Lecture. Again, said doctor filled the room with laughter and inspired another group of students and faculty with his thoughtful anecdotes of his medical career to date (though this audience was quite a bit larger than my little lecture from earlier in the week). I was pleased to see the good doctor in action again - a requirement of another class but one that I did not mind fulfilling.

After the lecture, the floor was open to questions and someone asked something like this: "You have been asked to speak at the School of Public Health's annual event yet you are a medical doctor who has stood up there and talked about treating individuals. Where is the public health?"

Note: If you were waiting, this is the obnoxious question.

I was astounded. Really, is it one or the other? Yes, public health is about the health of a population and medicine is about treating individuals but we cannot fully divide the two as completely separate entities. In my "health development world" we talk about "integration" as the best thing since sliced bread. "Let's integrate HIV/AIDS and Family Planning." "Let's integrate nutrition into MCH." "Let's integrate to avoid silos and have more vertical approaches. "

What we need is more public health integration. Public Health and all facets of health must be integrated including medicine, nursing, dentistry, mental health etc. Public Health is more than the health of a population and medicine is more than treating an individual. There is no jury that says one is more important than the other and in truly upholding the ethics of healthcare, we owe it to populations and individuals to provide high quality prevention and treatment. Physicians and healthcare providers, especially amidst the backdrop of the reality of globalization, absolutely must recognize the value of bridging the sciences of public health and medicine.

I know one thing - I sure do hope my doctor has an MPH.

Little Miracles

This afternoon I had the honor of meeting Murphy and Madison McCune, aka "The McTwinkies". These dear twin sisters are three weeks old today and are two of the most darling little babies you will ever see. After "baking as long as possible", they were delivered at just a bit over 32 weeks, weighing 3 lbs and 15 oz and 1 lb and 13 oz. Don't be alarmed by their low birth weight - they are growing and doing great, with both girls breathing on their own and wiggling their perfect fingers and perfect toes. Mom and Dad are doing great as well and they sure have a handful with these two beauties! I have stolen a picture from their blog to show you! Are they not adorable?

As you have noticed, I have a lot of friends' babies on this blog. (This is Amanda's Maternal and Child Health blog so that is expected). Given that I study global public health, it is not lost on me how fortunate we are to have fabulous healthcare and the necessary resources available to ensure that my friends, and their babies, have the opportunities to lead healthy lives.

Do you know what the top three causes of death are for children under the age of five? If you are a public health nerd like me, then you can rattle of statistics like it is no one's business. "2 million children die each year from pneumonia; 1.5 million die each year from diarrhea; and 1 million children under five die each year from malaria. Other leading causes include measles, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition."

Pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. All preventable.

Though we have made excellent progress in reducing under-five and infant mortality in the last 30 years, we have to keep on fighting so that every child is afforded the same opportunity for a healthy life as our children in the West are so preciously given. Despite any stress I have in my life right now (work, Masters Paper, work, other school activities, work....), I am so privileged to be doing my part for global maternal and child health. I genuinely love my field.

Now scroll back up and see those adorable girls again! Are they not so inspiring?

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Tonight at 11:11 pm I finished my first draft of my Masters Paper. Countless hours of research, interviewing, transcribing, writing and more writing have gone into draft number 1. The result is over 10,100 words about "Strengthening Pre-Service Education of Family Planning Services in Sub-Sahara Africa".

So what does life look like tonight? A bit brighter...

This is just a shot from the forts in San Juan but how perfect is this picture for 11:11 tonight? I'm making a wish!

Spring Break

There is great value and reward in taking a break! This year for "spring break" Elly and I went south! We spent a few days in South Florida with her family then flew to Puerto Rico where we split our time between the island Vieques and Old San Juan. The trip was divine! Here are a few pictures!