Rice students chronicling Africa trip online

CONTACT: Jade Boyd
PHONE: 713-348-6778
E-MAIL: jadeboyd@rice.edu

Seven Rice University students are visiting Africa for two months this summer to test health-care tools of their own design and work alongside doctors at Baylor Pediatric AIDS Initiative clinics in Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Malawi.

The students are chronicling their experience online at www.owlsbeyondborders.rice.edu.

The interns participated in a multi-disciplinary course at Rice last spring called “Introduction to Global Health Issues,” where some of them designed technologies they will be implementing in clinics and schools this summer as part of the internship. The course, which was developed through Rice’s Beyond Traditional Borders (BTB) program, exposed students to global health issues.

“Feedback on the blogs has been very positive,” said BTB Director Yvette Mirabal. “It’s fascinating to follow the students’ day-to-day experiences as they meet people and see how AIDS impacts the lives of children and families in Africa.”

2007 interns include:

Mbabane, Swaziland

David Dallas, a senior health sciences major, and Tessa Elliott, a graduating senior in environmental and earth science, in collaboration with UNICEF, will be assisting in the implementation of an infant feeding program at the government hospital in Mbabane.

Lilongwe, Malawi

Kim Bennett, a senior bioengineering major, will accompany Dr. Ellie Click throughout Malawi and assist as she conducts intensive training at hospitals as a part of a pilot project in new methods of infant HIV diagnosis.

Maseru, Lesotho

Sophie Kim, a biological sciences senior, and Christina Lagos, an international health and policy senior, will roll out an after-school activities club to promote interest in science and health education with a focus on HIV/AIDS.

Gaborone, Botswana

Rachel Solnick, a sophomore psychology major, and Lindsay Zwiener, a junior health sciences and health policy major, will conduct pilot tests and compare self-designed software that generates pictorial medication guides. They will assess whether these guides assist caregivers in the proper dosing and timing of anti-retroviral medications.