Eight Ohio Wesleyan University Students Present Research at 2014 Tanzania Public Health Association Conference
Ohio Wesleyan University students presented research recently at the 31st annual scientific conference and general meeting of the Tanzania Public Health Association. The students spent fall semester studying at the University of Dar Es Salaam. (Photo courtesy of the Tanzania Public Health Association)
DELAWARE, Ohio – As part of their fall semester-abroad experience, Ohio Wesleyan University students researched health-care issues impacting the East African country of Tanzania. Eight OWU students recently presented their findings at the 31st annual scientific conference and general meeting of the Tanzania Public Health Association.
The students were selected to present at the prestigious meeting after submitting abstracts of their work. The Tanzania Public Health Association (TPHA) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1980 to help promote health and prevent disease using sound public health practices. The association includes medical and public health personnel, pharmacists, dentists, nurses, health officers, nutritionists, medical sociologists, behavioral scientists, economists, educationists, and others interested in public health issues.
“This experience is the hallmark of OWU’s celebrated approach to learning – the application of theory to practice as students shared their research experiences with academicians and health professionals,” said Randolph K. Quaye, Ph.D., director of the Ohio Wesleyan in Tanzania Program and an expert in the sociology of health and illness. “Their papers are being published in the Proceedings of the Conference.
“For TPHA,” continued Quaye, who also serves as director of OWU’s Black World Studies Program, “it was an opportunity to see how a liberal arts education such as the one offered at OWU can prepare students to be active life learners and aspiring research scientists in addressing real-world health challenges in Tanzania.”
The following Ohio Wesleyan students presented research at the TPHA conference:
MaryKate Caja, a sophomore from Lakewood, Ohio, presenting “The Birds and the Bees: How to Talk About Sex in Tanzania.” Addy Dyrek, a junior from Shelton, Connecticut, presenting “The Battleground for Funding: Examining the Role of International and Local Non-Governmental Organizations.” Kelli Kiffer, a junior from Parma, Ohio, presenting “The Truth Behind the Bite: Confronting Malaria in Tanzania.” Carly Lovullo, a sophomore from South Euclid, Ohio, presenting “Staying Abreast with Breast and Cervical Cancer in Tanzania.” Elena Plazolles-Hayes, a sophomore from Radnor, Ohio, presenting “Under the Covers of Sleeping Sickness: Taking a Deeper Look into Effective Vaccinations and Mortality Rates.” Shelli Reeves, a junior from Shaker Heights, Ohio, presenting “Overcoming Challenges Combating Mental Illness in Uganda.” Shareeque Sadiq, a sophomore from Columbus, Ohio, presenting “How Tanzanian Youth Alliance is Combating HIV/AIDS.” Elizabeth Wynne, a junior from Morristown, New Jersey, presenting “When Disease Meets Guns: An Analysis of the Relationship Between Conflict and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
This year’s annual meeting – held Nov. 24-28 in Bagamoyo, Tanzania – explored “Social Determinants of Health and Millennium Development Goals Achievement.” Social determinants of health comprise the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, including the health-care system. The conditions are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels.
The Ohio Wesleyan in Tanzania Program is designed to provide students with an intensive, firsthand experience of another culture by exposing them to the political, economic, and social realities of life in 21st century East Africa. The program is affiliated with the University of Dar Es Salaam. Learn more at https://www.owu.edu/academics/the-owu-connection/premier-off-campus-programs/owu-in-tanzania/.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.