[Autumn Graves]

Question 1: I believe the largest HIV control barrier globally is social stigma around the disease. I found it extremely interesting yet also saddening that clinics specifically designed to fight HIV, a place where accessibility to testing and treatment is promising in the community, actually worsens the likelihood of people getting care due to the stigma of entering such a place. Instead, these same resources should be dispersed into regular family care clinics to make HIV screening feel like just another test everyone has to take instead of specific people picked out of society – this idea can help to normalize the concept of getting screened for HIV in advance.
Question 2: In regards to pediatric control, mothers and young women are some of the most at-risk to getting HIV. In certain regions of the world, cultural norms unfortunately can make it difficult for women to be empowered and in control of their sexual lifestyle; for example, women who have more than one sexual partner might be shunned, harassed, or even punished by their community than a man, and this social stigma can be so strong that it prevents young expecting mothers from seeking proper screenings and care. Likewise, pregnancy is a very dramatic change in the course of one’s life both physically, emotionally, and financially, and new responsibilities and expectations placed on an expecting mother can be overwhelming, adding to the decreased likelihood for a mother to get consistent screenings and treatment, and ultimately increasing the transmission and incidence of pediatric HIV.

[Autumn Graves]

Hanna, I could not agree more in regards to how imperative it is that we focus on prevention in regards to NTDs. Education is a powerful tool, and we as healthcare professionals need to shift our focus from personalized care to more community-wide care when in the context of helping regions that still suffer in controlling NTDs. Better access to preventative measures are critical – things such as open house community seminars regarding NTD education and prevention, community distribution of items such as water sanitation items and bed nets, and visiting with large groups to screen for early signs and symptoms of an NTD are great ideas for reducing NTD spread while also empowering populations to feel in control of their health.

[Autumn Graves]

Question 1: Those living in poverty are those most overlooked by governments, social communities, and policy-makers. Tuberculosis and poverty feed into each other – TB can cause poverty, and poverty can cause TB. Just as the article states, TB and poverty are invested into a cyclical relationship with each other; however, I believe the classic “chicken vs. egg” argument leans towards poverty being the incubating environment for TB to still exist in our communities. Thus, it is imperative that we crack down on TB not by enhancing current treatments or performing meticulous research – instead, we need to delve into the social justice system to form policies and procedures that help others escape impoverishing conditions before TB gets infiltrated into communities in the first place. Policies such as those that give better access to housing and job opportunities, incentivize communities and rehab centers to reduce drug abuse (since sharing needles can cause HIV which places one at greater risk to TB), provide programs that assist those to escape homelessness are critical, and eliminate healthcare access barriers so the most at-risk communities can recieve treatment and prevention education are critical in eliminating TB.
Question 2: The article shined light on how many Neglected Tropical Diseases can be seen as insignificant in many wealthier communities where impoverished populations still exist – for example, urbanized areas that are rich in opportunity and steady government funding will consistently still overlook their large homeless community. Another point the article discussed was that many diseases that are extremely problematic to fixed geographically localized areas are constantly overlooked in comparison to diseases that affect the majority of our world. Two strategies to help tackle NTDs that I believe would be most effective is more advocacy as well as provision of incentives to those who provide healthcare, research, and social policy funding. Advocacy is a powerful tool in which we can voice our concerns for the underdogs most at-risk while also educating leaders in why making changes can change social infrastructure. For example, cholera in Yemen is a massive barrier that prevents many in the communities from thriving, and better advocacy to be a voice for that geographical region could display how if cholera were better controlled, Yemen’s economy and people could thrive better by eliminating healthcare cost and disease spread. Financial and economic incentives to organizations would also be a great strategy – for example, educating a governmental group that if they tackled a specific NTD that it could open doors to better regional income by reducing healthcare costs long-term would be a great motivator for community leaders to prioritize NTD elimination.

[Autumn Graves]

Casey, I really liked the point you made about how imperative it is that we also recognize our own behaviors around how we obtain our food and resources to help contribute to building a better nutritious and environmentally friendly food industry. I too believe incentivizing families and communities to grow their own food is of substantial value – for example, at my medical school we grow a sustainable garden while also using social media to teach students and everyday community members how to grow, harvest, and store/can their own delicious fruits and vegetables. I think growing our own food or at least educating ourselves on the story behind every food item in our cabinets is really empowering and motivates us to take control of our health.

[Autumn Graves]

Food Systems Q1 – I think it is vital that we should be better educating communities in food deserts who are most affected on the economics of the fast-food industry. For example, I recently learned that for every dollar one spends on fast-food, one will spend $6-7 in healthcare costs down the road. I think it is imperative that we teach how detrimental unhealthy, convenient food items can be on both our bodies and our financial pockets long-term, and perhaps even giving government-issued financial incentives to convenience stores and fast-food businesses to add more accessible low-cost nutritious food items onto their shelves would give food desert environments the healthy boost they need.
Measles Elimination Q2 – Inaccessibility to vaccinations and to routinely seeing long-term primary care professionals to me seem like the greatest reason the elimination of measles has recently gone stagnant despite the huge decreases in mortality rates we have seen in the past. This could be due to areas who either have a poorly constructed healthcare system, cultural beliefs about clinical care and vaccines, or social/political unrest that de-prioritizes the fight against measles outbreaks. Seeing the statistics on rates of measles growth and decline for individual countries displays how much more complex the fight against a viral illness truly is despite the world having already discovered a preventative measure.

[Autumn Graves]

Hi everyone, my name is Autumn Graves and I am an OMS-II at ATSU-KCOM in Kirksville, MO. Before medical school I did a three month service-learning project abroad in Costa Rica working with Face of Justice, a local non-profit that helps rescue and transition victims of sex-trafficking back to lead happy and fulfilling lives, while also taking medical Spanish courses at Universidad Veritas and helping coordinate pop-up free health fair screenings. During my time in undergrad at Murray State University I was a volunteer secretary at the local Hospice house in between my biology curriculum, and when I graduated I was a Life Skills Trainer at NeuroRestorative, where I had the opportunity to teach social and living skills classes and plan field trips for rehabilitation patients with traumatic brain injuries. I am taking this course because I hope to pursue a career in international medical work in Latin America as I enjoy the passions, cultural pride, language, and grit of that region of the world and I hope to visit again one day. I do not know what the future holds for me as I enjoy every specialty I learn about, but what I do know is that I am passionate about providing accessible care to all people from all the corners of the world.

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