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2007 Center for Global Health Headlines April 27, 2007 Hopkins researchers share Africa research at annual HAUSA event >> Read the HAUSA feature "The Intersection of Sociopolitical Conflict and Public Health" The Johns Hopkins University has a strong presence throughout the world, and nowhere is this presence stronger than in Africa, where school personnel are active in research in over 60 percent of the countries on the continent. Their research spans all topics, but similarities between their studies exist in the cultural, financial, and political circumstances of the African communities they work in, and the ramifications these factors have on their research studies. These similarities were on display Friday, April 27, when twenty-four students, faculty, and staff members shared their research results and personal experiences in Africa during the Hopkins All-University Seminar on Africa (HAUSA). This day-long event, an annual occurrence that rotates campuses, was hosted this year by the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health and held at the School of Nursing on the East Baltimore campus. The event was held as a part of “Faces of Africa” week, sponsored by the African Public Health Network of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The seminar featured presentations from personnel of the School of Medicine, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and the School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Hopkins affiliated non-profit JHPIEGO also presented several research studies. School of Nursing Dean Martha Hill opened the day with a warm welcome and an invitation to brainstorm how else Hopkins can combat the problems facing Africa. Public Health student Sosena Kebede then gave a moving talk about her experience in being of African origin at Johns Hopkins, while emphasizing to the participants that “the time is now” to use our expertise to impact Africa. The morning session included presentations relating to African culture, where participants explored the different cultural and political factors that impact the African continent. Content ranged from microfinance, to the history of Madagascar and its surrounding area, to the political activities of Nigeria and religious beliefs of Tanzania. Several health-based talks addressed African access to genetic advances and cesareans, the analysis of diseases borne by rats in urban areas, and the reality of healthy nations in Africa. A lunchtime session featured three representatives of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health -- faculty member and Center for Global Health Associate Director Chris Beyrer, staff member Jennifer Wagman, and student Ting-Hway Wong -- who gave presentations and answered questions on the intersection of sociopolitical conflict and health. In the afternoon, a variety of health interventions and treatments were presented. Several focused on the various tactics used to combat HIV/AIDS, including prevention, education, testing, counseling, and circumcision. Other topics included the human resource crisis, cervical cancer, tuberculosis, reproductive health, and the challenges in starting up health services in Liberia. The Center for Global Health thanks everyone who volunteered their time to speak at the event and who attended any or all of the sessions for their assistance in making HAUSA a success. Speakers and their topics:
African Culture
The intersection of socio-political conflict and health
Health interventions/treatments
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