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Weekly News and Notes
From the Duke Global Health Institute
Greetings!
The word "viral" is being used to describe the reach of Kate Whetten's research of orphanages in five countries. The research, published in PLoS ONE last week, has important implications for how orphaned and abandoned children are cared for around the world. Read more below.
We want to remind you of the upcoming deadlines for applying for the next class of Master of Science in Global Health and Postdoctoral Fellowships. Also, don't miss the new student fieldwork opportunities that have just been added to the website.
As we close the book on 2009, we want to thank you for your continued support of global health activities at Duke and wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday.
Until next year,
Geelea Seaford and Everyone at DGHI
News and Notes will resume January 5, 2010 |
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Study Finds Orphanages Are Viable Options For Some Children
By Alyssa Zamora, Duke Global Health Institute
A Duke University study of more than 3,000 orphaned and abandoned children in five Asian and African countries has found that children in institutional orphanages fare as well or better than those who live in the community.
The findings contrast sharply with research that associates institutions with poorer health and well-being, and the policies adopted by many international agencies/ governments.
"Our research is not saying that institutions are better. What we found is that institutions may be a viable option for some kids," said study leader Kathryn Whetten, director of the Center for Health Policy at the Duke Global Health Institute. "As the number of orphans continues to rise worldwide, it is vital not to discount orphanages before assessing whether they are harmful to the millions of children for whom they care."
 Whetten's research team compared the physical health, cognitive functioning, emotion, behaviour and growth of orphaned or abandoned children ages 6-12, half of them living in institutions and the other half dwelling in the community. The study found that children in institutions in five countries reported significantly better health scores, lower prevalence of recent sickness and fewer emotional difficulties than community dwelling children. These findings suggest the overall health of children in orphanages is no worse than that of children in communities.
The research team has been following the 3,000 orphans involved in the study for three years, and they plan to continue tracking them into their late teens and early 20s to determine how their childhood affects their life course.
 Published Friday in the interactive open-access journal PLoS ONE, this is one of the most comprehensive studies of orphans ever conducted. Data were collected between May 2006 and February 2008 from children and their caregivers in 83 institutional care settings and 311 community clusters. The study assessed five culturally, politically and religiously-distinct countries that face rising orphan populations. Sites included Cambodia, Ethiopia, Hyderabad and Nagaland in India, Kenya, and Tanzania.
"Very few studies cross a span of countries like ours does," said Whetten. "The design flaw of past studies is that they compared a small number of orphanages against community houses. Those limited results can't be generalized to other places."
Some of the most influential studies on child institutions were conducted in eastern bloc countries. But the greatest burden of orphans and abandoned children is in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern and Southeastern Asia.
Of the estimated 143 million orphans and abandoned children worldwide, roughly half reside in South and East Asia, according to UNICEF. An estimated 12 percent of all children in Africa will be orphaned by next year as a result of malaria, tuberculosis, pregnancy complications, HIV/AIDS and natural disasters, according to the World Health Organization.
Read the full story.
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New and Noteworthy
New Ad-hoc Law Course to Study Social Justice in Brazil
Duke Law students Kat Shea, Noah Browne, and Anne Dana have developed an "ad-hoc seminar" for Spring 2010 that will focus on issues of human rights and social justice in indigenous communities in Brazil and will include a service trip to South America during Spring break.
 The seminar and trip are designed to give students hands-on exposure to the opportunities and challenges of practicing law in a global context. The course will examine socio-economic, political, and legal issues in Brazil, and students will provide legal assistance to indigenous communities and related NGOs. Professor Laurence Helfer, an expert in international law whose research focuses on the intersections intellectual property and human rights, will advise the course.
"This is a really good match with what students are interested in right now," says Shea, a 3L who co-led the 2009 Southern Justice Spring Break trip to New Orleans, through which students assisted residents with legal needs as well as hurricane recovery efforts. "With Professor Helfer joining Duke Law this fall, and the growing interest among students in international service and human rights, we think this will be a really exciting service learning experience."
Two projects under consideration for the seminar are assisting a traditional Afro-Brazilian community in the Atlantic rain forest region to gain legal title to their land, or assisting a private Brazilian company in designing biodiversity initiatives that promote the rights of indigenous communities and protect their traditional knowledge.
"Indigenous communities in Brazil face many challenges, including land tenure, public health issues, and protection of local knowledge and culture," says Helfer, who will accompany the students on the trip and who co-directs the Duke Law's Center in International and Comparative Law, which is helping to fund the trip. "The seminar, trip, and partnerships with local NGOs will allow students to provide concrete legal assistance to one of these communities and to bring their insights from the field into the classroom."
Read the full story.
U.S. Funds Global Health at Record Levels
President Barack Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act last week, which includes the greatest financial commitment ever made by the U.S. government on non-HIV/AIDS funding.
The six-year Global Health Initiative, announced by President Obama in May, appropriates more funding particularly in the areas of malaria, maternal and child health, family planning and infectious diseases. The initiative also overturns the federal funding ban on needle exchange, which has impeded evidence-based HIV prevention.
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Faculty News and Funding
Funding Opportunities
Request for Proposals: Small Grants to Support Research in Family Planning and Reproductive Health
MEASURE Evaluation Population & Reproductive Health Associate Award (PRH) is pleased to announce a small grants program to build the evidence base in family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), support the research efforts of developing country researchers and their institutions, and maximize opportunities to use research findings for decision-making. Deadline to apply is December 31. Read more >>
Information Technology Professionals in Health Care Funding Opportunity
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, under Section 3016 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), Information Technology Professionals in Health Care, authorizes assistance to institutions of higher education to establish or expand health informatics education programs, including certification, undergraduate, and masters degree programs, for both health care and information technology students to ensure the rapid and effective utilization and development of health information technologies in the US health care infrastructure. Letter of Intent Deadline January 4. Read more >>
NCMHD Health Disparities Research on Minority and Underserved Populations (R01)
The overarching goal of this FOA is to solicit innovative research addressing elements that eliminates health disparities. Research focused on disease and/or conditions that disproportionately affect racial/ethnic minorities is a growing field and has been employed lately in understanding dynamics contributing to health disparities. Read more >>
Education, Training Opportunities
DGHI Postdoctoral Research Program - Call for Applications
The Duke Global Health Institute invites applications for up to two two-year postdoctoral fellowships to begin in July 2010 and end in August 2012. Fellows will work under the mentorship of a DGHI Faculty Member, a DGHI Faculty Affiliate, or other Duke faculty whose research focuses on DGHI's signature research initiatives.Deadline to apply is January 12. Read more >>
Pfizer 2010 Fellowships and Professorships - Call for Applications
Medical & Academic Partnerships (MAP) is a program developed by Pfizer, which supports advances in clinical medicine and public health and supports cross-fertilization between leading healthcare experts and educational institutions. MAP fellowships and professorships are open to US-based schools of medicine, colleges of osteopathic medicine, nursing schools, pharmacy schools, and schools of public health, unless otherwise noted. Deadline to apply is January 31. Read more >>
Casey Foundation Fellowship - Nominations Open for Community Leadership Development
The 2010-2011 Children and Family Fellowship is designed for outstanding executives who lead large public sector service systems, major community-based service organizations, or advocacy initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for children, families, and communities. The Fellowship is an opportunity for these senior leaders to augment their knowledge and experiences, sharpen their skills, broaden their perspectives, and increase their influence. Nominations Deadline January 8. Read more >>
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For additional faculty opportunities, click here.
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DGHI Fieldwork Project Opportunities
The Duke Global Health Institute is accepting applications for more than a dozen projects in nine countries next summer. DGHI's fieldwork opportunities range in topic from maternal health and infectious diseases to community development, health education and access to care. New opportunities include:
Carolina for Kibera Summer Internship - Call for Applications
The Carolina for Kibera (CFK) Program is currently accepting applications for its summer internship program. The CFK Summer Internship Program, which hosts interns from Duke each summer, is a unique experience for students to engage in grassroots participatory community development. Deadline January 1. Read more >>
Engineering World Health-Duke Summer Institute Now Accepting Applications
The Engineering World Health-Duke Summer Institute is an opportunity for engineering students to gain hands-on repair and design experience while providing support to hospitals that serve people in poor communities of a developing country. Deadline January 8. Read more >>
IIASA YSSP 2010: Summer Fellowship Opportunity for Graduate Students
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), located in Schloss Laxenburg near Vienna, Austria, hosts a selected group of graduate students, primarily doctoral, from around the world in its Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP). Deadline January 18. Read more >> Education Opportunities
DGHI MSc-GH Program - Call for Applications
The Duke Global Health Institute, in collaboration with the Duke Graduate School, is accepting applications for the second cohort of the Master of Science in Global Health (MSc-GH) program, which will begin in August 2010. Deadline to apply is January 30. Read more >>
The Villers Fellowship for Health Care Justice - Call for Applications
The Villers Fellow will work as a full-time policy analyst in Families USA's Health Policy Department. The Fellowship is based in the Families USA office in Washington, D.C. and is designed to provide the Fellow with a national perspective on health care justice work and the opportunity to learn about a range of health care justice issues.Deadline to apply is January 15. Read more >>
2010 Sandbox Fellowship by the Deshpande Foundation
The Deshpande Foundation welcomes motivated individuals to apply to our 2010 Fellows Program. The Deshpande Foundation, founded in 1996, is a leading philanthropic foundation in Massachusetts and India in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship and international development. Deadline to apply is January 4. Read more >>
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98 Solterra Way, Durham
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January 12, 2009
» 12 pm
January 20, 2010 »
4:30-6 pm
John Hope Franklin Center, Room 240
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January 21, 2010 » 4:30 pm
Duke School of Nursing Auditorium, Room 1014
View more upcoming events.
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The research of Center for Health Policy's Kathryn Whetten was featured in numerous news websites and blogs this week.
Several are listed below:
African, Asian Orphanages Provide Good Care: Study
-- The Office of Minority Health, US Department of Health & Human Services
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-- The Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia
-- Afrol News, Africa
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