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Learn how OWU’s Course Connections, Travel-Learning Courses, Theory-to-Practice Grants, and other programs prepare students for global citizenship and leadership and help them…Make the Connection.
Valentina Marginean ’16
Name: Valentina Marginean ’16
Majors: Pre-Medicine, Sociology/Anthropology, Biochemistry triple major
Hometown: Youngstown, Ohio
Experience: Theory-to-Practice Grant, “The Role of Indigenous Healing Systems in Haiti,” May 2014
Lessons Learned:
“An ineffective, impoverished government; scarce finances; and insufficient infrastructure (following) a devastating earthquake has led to extreme socio-economic polarization in Haitian society. …
“Needless to say, infectious diseases are a public health nightmare; however, the modern world is privy to ignoring these concerns because of our ease in accessing vaccines and antibiotics. Countries like Haiti do not have this type of privilege where infectious diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and cholera are the focus of most Haitian clinics.
“Structural violence plays a major role in the spread of these agents because it enables stratification, oppression, and elitism – all of which inhibit the average Haitian’s access to healthcare. As a pre-med student who hopes to pursue medical research in infectious diseases, it is evident to me that the biological science of the diseases is understood. However, the sociological components of healthcare must be analyzed with as much fervency to fully stop these preventable illnesses in their tracks.”