2008 Woodie Awards
YU Public Health Institute Crosses Global Borders
Esther Baruh
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: News
The program kicked off at the beginning of July with three intensive weeks of lectures at the YU campus. The lectures focused on social sciences, primarily psychology research and methodology, and concentrated on doing research in the developing world. Lectures were delivered jointly by FGSP and AECOM faculty. After the three weeks of lecture in New York, the students flew to Mumbai, India, where they were hosted at the YMCA of Mumbai. The YU contingent was joined by undergraduate students from St. Xavier College. "The workshops there were then public-health oriented," explained Marmor, "but this time we got to hear presentations not only from Dr. Suchday and her colleagues at Einstein, but also from professors in India. Given that public health there is extremely different, it was a very interesting experience."
Marmor explained that the difference in population in India is a large factor that affects public-health issues there. "India is the second most populated country in the whole world," she pointed out. "That's a lot more people to take care of and a lot more disease to spread around."
Marmor noted that the poverty in India is another important contributor to public-health problems. "When you have poor people, they can't afford basic medical care," she elucidated. Desperately poor Indians, both men and women, will often turn to the "sex worker industry" that exists in India. "It's a societal taboo, but it permeates the different classes," Marmor commented. The proliferation of people selling themselves to combat their extreme poverty in turn causes the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Lack of vaccinations and poor water sanitation, as well as malaria, also play a part in India's health problems.
The India component of the course was primarily lecture-based, but "we also had a project that we had to work on with our Indian counterparts," Marmor said. "We had to pick a topic in public health and present the Indian and American perspectives on it. That was interesting because it provided real interaction with our Indian counterparts."
The forty-odd Indian students were divided into teams with one American student per group (Marmor was joined by a FGSP student in the project). The topics studied by the students ranged from cardiovascular diseases to geriatric issues, HIV and depression. Marmor was impressed by the focused and serious approach that the Indian students took to their studies. "These kids will grow up to become the leaders of the country in thirty years," she remarked.
The YU students spent their Shabbat in Mumbai at the Chabad House of Mumbai. Marmor spent a total of ten days in India, and the graduate students in the program stayed longer to conduct more research and to tour the country.
The third step of the course will take place in January, at the Tata Institute of Social Science, a premier social sciences research center in India. This aspect of the program will hopefully facilitate and encourage a deep connection between YU students and faculty and research conducted in India.
Marmor explained that the difference in population in India is a large factor that affects public-health issues there. "India is the second most populated country in the whole world," she pointed out. "That's a lot more people to take care of and a lot more disease to spread around."
Marmor noted that the poverty in India is another important contributor to public-health problems. "When you have poor people, they can't afford basic medical care," she elucidated. Desperately poor Indians, both men and women, will often turn to the "sex worker industry" that exists in India. "It's a societal taboo, but it permeates the different classes," Marmor commented. The proliferation of people selling themselves to combat their extreme poverty in turn causes the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Lack of vaccinations and poor water sanitation, as well as malaria, also play a part in India's health problems.
The India component of the course was primarily lecture-based, but "we also had a project that we had to work on with our Indian counterparts," Marmor said. "We had to pick a topic in public health and present the Indian and American perspectives on it. That was interesting because it provided real interaction with our Indian counterparts."
The forty-odd Indian students were divided into teams with one American student per group (Marmor was joined by a FGSP student in the project). The topics studied by the students ranged from cardiovascular diseases to geriatric issues, HIV and depression. Marmor was impressed by the focused and serious approach that the Indian students took to their studies. "These kids will grow up to become the leaders of the country in thirty years," she remarked.
The YU students spent their Shabbat in Mumbai at the Chabad House of Mumbai. Marmor spent a total of ten days in India, and the graduate students in the program stayed longer to conduct more research and to tour the country.
The third step of the course will take place in January, at the Tata Institute of Social Science, a premier social sciences research center in India. This aspect of the program will hopefully facilitate and encourage a deep connection between YU students and faculty and research conducted in India.
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