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Weekly News and Notes
From the Duke Global Health Institute
Greetings!
The long-awaited day has almost arrived for more than 1,000 students who will soon call themselves alumni of Duke University. DGHI is particularly proud of the 43 students who will also receive the global health certificate. (Watch a video of one of our outstanding certificate students here.) On Sunday, Duke graduates and their families will receive their final words of inspiration from Commencement Speaker Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi banker/economist and champion of the poor.
Yunus is considered the father of microfinance, a concept he developed as an economics professor that provides loans to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. In 1983, he founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, which helped poor people escape poverty by teaching them sound financial principles so they can help themselves and by providing loans on terms suitable to them. (View our previous story on Yunus here.)
In 2006, Yunus and Grameen Bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below."
You can watch the Commencement Ceremony live on Sunday at 10 am at www.ustream.tv/DukeUniversity.
Congratulations to all our graduates and best of luck!
Until next week,
Geelea Seaford and Everyone at DGHI |
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A Senior's Global Health Journey at Duke
 With graduation days away, Senior Julia Chou reflects on her time at Duke and what led her down the path to global health and health policy.
Chou will graduate this weekend with a public policy major, economics minor and a global health certificate, which is offered to undergraduate and graduate students through the Duke Global Health Institute. During her senior year, Chou also served as president of the student-run organization Global Health Forum.
This summer, she will join a major firm in California that she hopes will ultimately combine her passions for health and technology. In this video clip, Chou shares her Duke experience in her own words.
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DGHI Postdoctoral Fellow Awarded Fogarty Fellowship for Mental Health Research in Kenya
DGHI Postdoctoral Fellow Eve Puffer has been awarded a fellowship from the International Clinical Research Fellows (ICRF) Program of the National Institute of Mental Health and Fogarty International Center to continue her research on mental health and HIV in Kenya.
Puffer surveyed more than 300 young adults and their caregivers about their sexual behavior. She will use those results to tailor an intervention for the Kenyan community. | Puffer will spend one year in Muhuru Bay, Kenya to continue development and implementation of a tailored program to improve the mental health and family factors related to HIV risk among youth. Through her researcg as a postdoctoral fellow at DGHI, she found a strong relationship between community and sexual risk behaviors among youth in the remote community, where HIV/AIDS prevalence is high.
Puffer began small-scale pilot testing of the family-based intervention this spring, which is entitled READY (Resilience, Education, And skill Development for Youth and families). During her fellowship, she plans to complete its development and conduct a small, randomized controlled trial.
The goal of Puffer's research will be to improve communication within families in ways that will help caregivers support youth in more positive ways, improve their ability to monitor youths' behavior, and deliver youth consistent and clear messages related to sexual development and HIV. The program also aims improve their emotional coping and problem-solving skills so young adults can make safer choices related to their sexual behavior. Read the full story
Duke Faculty Join DGHI as New Members, Affiliates
Duke Global Health Institute faculty have approved the appointment of four new members and affiliates.
New Members:
- David Walmer - Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
New Affiliates:
- Alex Cho - Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine
Members are Duke faculty who accept leadership roles in an education, research or service initiative of the Institute, and serve three-year terms. Affiliates are active participants in an DGHI project and serve two-year terms.
DGHI Member Jen'nan Read was a Panelist at Muslim Politics Conference in DC
 DGHI member Jen'nan Read shared her expertise at the conference "Muslim Political Integration in the United States and Germany" which took place at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC last week.
Read participated in two panels which focused on the diversity of the muslim population and their political participation in the US. Research shows the Muslim community is underrepresented in public office. In her presentation, Read answered questions about the future of Muslims in politics and the increased political activisim of second generation Muslims.
Read is associate professor of sociology and global health and an expert on muslims in America, and religion and politics. She also leads DGHI's postdoctoral program. Watch a webcast from the conference.
New DGHI Job Opportunities
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Faculty News and Funding
NIH Grant Review Materials
Funding Opportunities
Grand Challenges Explorations: Proposals for Round 5
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now accepting grant proposals for Round 5 of Grand Challenges Explorations, a US $100 million initiative to encourage unconventional global health solutions. Anyone can apply, regardless of education or experience level. Deadline May 19. Read more.
NEW! Active Living Research Rapid-Response Call for Proposals
Active Living Research is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that supports research to inform policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity among children and adolescents, decreasing their sedentary behaviors and preventing obesity. Read more.
USAID Health Policy Project Grant
The Health Policy Project will engage and strengthen the ability of individuals, in-country and/or regional institutions and universities to build long-term capacity in the health policy arena and to address policy and advocacy needs at national and sub-national levels. Deadline June 14. Read more.
Center Seed Grant Request for Proposals
The China International Center for Chronic Disease Prevention will award seed research grants to 1) encourage innovative research projects with the potential for funding for larger-scale studies, and to 2) establish tangible platforms for collaborations, fellowship training, and capacity building between international and Chinese organizations in its network. Deadline June 30. Read more.
Education/Training Opportunities
Robert E. Shope International Fellowship in Infectious Diseases
Individuals with doctoral-level degrees who seek fellowship funding to support travel, living and research expenses to work in laboratories in the tropics to pursue studies in arbovirology and/or emerging tropical infectious diseases are invited to apply for the Robert E. Shope International Fellowship. Deadline May 20. Read more.
Post-Graduate Diploma in Health Economics, Health Care Financing and Health Policy
The first of its kind in India, this course is premised on the belief that enhanced understanding and knowledge of health economics approaches and techniques, health systems research, monitoring and evaluation and health policy analysis is central to more effective policies and programs for better health services. Deadline June 30. Read more.
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Careers in Global Health
Are you graduating this semester? Are you interested in a career in global health? See the latest job opportunities available from the Global Health Council, which is a great resource for young adults entering the field. See a listing of global health resources on the DGHI website.
Education Opportunity
Global Semester Abroad in India and China
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis as space permits for the Duke Global Semester Abroad program, which begins in 2011 . Join your fellow students to explore health and development issues in India and China while being immersed in their cultures for a semester. The Sanford School of Public Policy, the Department of Cultural Anthropology and the Duke Global Health Institute partnered to offer this opportunity to undergraduate students. Read more.
Grand Challenges Explorations: Proposals for Round 5
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now accepting grant proposals for Round 5 of Grand Challenges Explorations, a US $100 million initiative to encourage unconventional global health solutions. Anyone can apply, regardless of education or experience level. Deadline May 19. Read more.
Employment Opportunity
International Student Services, Office of International Activities, UNC School of Medicine
Candidates for the International Student Services position must possess knowledge of the visa process for domestic medical students seeking work or study authorization abroad as well as international students seeking educational opportunities in the United States at UNC School of Medicine. Candidates must have an in depth knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Candidates must possess skills in website authoring and/or content management of websites, strong verbal and written communications skills, demonstrated excellent customer service skills, and a dedicated interest in global health and medical education. Candidates must be able to obtain a valid passport for international travel to/from the United States and foreign countries, as it is essential to the job.
Preference will be given to candidates who possess a masters degree in Public Health or related discipline such as international policy or education.
For more information and how to apply: https://itsapps.unc.edu/RAMS4/details.do?reqId=1005025&type=S
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York Room, Divinity School
May 26 » 12-1 pm
Trent Hall, Room 124
May 26 » 3-6 pm
Hall of Science and Love Auditorium, LSRC
May 27 » 7:30-9 am
NC Biotechnology Center, RTP
Webcast and Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building Auditorium, UNC-CH
June 9 » 5:30-7 pm
South Lawn, Sarah P. Duke Gardens
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Video Corner
"Promoting Health and Peace in Africa"
Click image to watch video. |
In a 3-part video series, a panel of African leaders discuss how they are making a difference in their war-torn countries by bridging ideologies and promoting peace. Speakers included Angelina Atyam, Paride Taban and Maureen Nafula.
Read more about their visit to Duke last fall, which was co-sponsored by the Fuqua School of Business, Divinity School and DGHI.
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DGHI In The News
-- National Geographic, with comments from Avner Vengosh.
Vengosh is a co-principal investigator for a DGHI pilot grant to study groundwater quality and impacts on human health in the Main Ethiopian Rift.
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