Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Inaugural Class of Global Health Residency Program Announced

Four candidates have been selected for the inaugural class of the Duke Global Health Residency (GHR) program. The GHR is a partnership between the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health and the Duke Global Health Institute. The Hubert-Yeargan Center is a global health organization that provides medical education and outreach opportunities for medical students, and now residents, abroad.

The residents were selected from the Departments of Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Psychiatry and Surgery/Division of Neurosurgery. Three of the residents will begin Masters' of Public Health (MPH) degrees this fall, and one resident who already has an advanced degree will begin the overseas residency this summer.

The GHR includes work towards an MPH degree and nine months working at one of Duke University 's global health sites. Initially, residents will receive their masters' degree through the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health. In coming years, residents will have the opportunity to earn a Master of Science in Global Health from the Duke Global Health Institute. This unique program is available to residents from participating departments at Duke University Medical Center.

“We are very pleased to welcome these young physicians from four different departments as our inaugural class of global health residents. Their energy and enthusiasm for improving health around the world is contagious, and I have no doubt that each will uniquely leverage this training opportunity to address health disparities within each of their disciplines,” said Nathan Thielman, MD, MPH, director of the Global Health Residency Program. “I am sure their experiences will create a firm foundation for the growth of this program over the years.”

The members of the inaugural class are listed below.

Maria Almond , MD, is a second-year resident in the Department of Psychiatry. She received her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and her medical degree from Harvard. Prior to coming to Duke, she worked on a variety of community-based global health efforts in the Philippines, England, Mexico and Tanzania, where she developed HIV health education curricula and hygiene and care training programs. Dr. Almond hopes to improve clinical education efforts abroad, while highlighting the importance of behavioral health in medical care.

Holly Biggs , MD, is currently a second-year resident in the Department of Medicine. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Illinois. She has worked with AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross, responding to local and national disasters including the World Trade Center collapses on 9/11. As an undergraduate, she studied abroad in Ecuador and as a medical student worked in a hospital in Zambia. Dr. Biggs plans on pursuing a fellowship in Infectious Diseases, to further her training for a career addressing global HIV/AIDS.

Stephen Parker , MD, a second-year resident from the Department of Surgery/ Division of Neurosurgery, received his undergraduate degree from Purdue University and his medical degree from Indiana University. He has worked at a mission hospital in Tanzania during medical school, where he conducted research on the relationship between fluorosis and spina bifida among the Masai people. Last summer, he joined the neurosurgery team led by Mike Haglund, MD, that traveled to Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda with surplus medical equipment provided by the Global Health PLUS program. As part of his Global Health Residency training, Dr. Parker is especially interested in conducting research on head trauma caused by automobile accidents in the developing world.

Brandi Vasquez , MD, Ph.D., is a fourth-year resident from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Vasquez received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and her medical degree and Ph.D. in molecular biology from Oregon Health & Science University. She has spent time in Costa Rica and already has numerous publications to her credit. Dr. Vasquez will be working with Jeff Wilkinson, MD, to help establish a Women's Reproductive Health program in Africa.