Blog1 – Page 5 – Global Reproductive Health at Duke

Professor Spotlight: Dr. Nunn

February 27, 2019 by Emily WoodrowNo Comments

Dr. Nunn is a professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and Global Health and is currently teaching the course “Human Health in Evolutionary Perspective” here at Duke. The following is the transcript of an in-person interview conducted with Dr. Nunn. What inspired you to teach “Human Health in Evolutionary Perspective” at Duke? In particular, what long-term perspectives do you hope students will gain from this course? “I came to Duke in 2013 from Harvard where I taught this course and it was called Evolutionary Medicine. I was really excited to teach it there because it was in the General Education Curriculum and a colleague of mine, Peter Ellison, and I developed a course that was aimed at people without any background in evolution or background in pre-med. It was meant to be a course that attracted any student and it was amazing. It allowed me to engage with the material in a more basic level and I came to realize the material is something...

Pelvic Health Physical Therapy

February 21, 2019February 21, 2019 by Kayla CheeNo Comments

Part 1: An Introduction to Pelvic Health Therapy Services Throughout my studies in Duke’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, I have become exposed to many different types of physical therapy that I never knew existed. In addition to the more common fields of physical therapy, such as orthopedics and neurological, physical therapists are critical health care providers for premature infants in the NICU, for injured dogs and horses, and for individuals with pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic health physical therapists can help treat patients with such as urinary or fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, dyspareunia (pain during intercourse), pelvic pain, chronic low back pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and a variety of other conditions. To treat some of these conditions, physical therapists help relax spasming of pelvic floor muscles through manual therapy manipulations, strengthen pelvic floor muscles through biofeedback systems and exercise prescription, and re-educate the bladder with strategies such as bowel/bladder diaries or bladder voiding schedules. As such, physical therapists play a vital...

Tumaini La Maisha Health Services Organization

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 by Faith OtewaNo Comments

This is a non-profit organization that works jointly with Kisumu Hospice Center established at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) on cancer projects. Breast, cervical, prostate and esophageal cancers are its focus. The Kisumu Hospice serves the local community and supports a satellite hospice center at the Siaya District Hospital. On average, the hospice aids 50 patients each month. The organization promotes cancer awareness and helps navigation through patient referall by community screening and linkage. The foundation has established an accommodation unit in Nairobi that hosts a total of six patients at a time who have been referred for radiotherapy. It has also established a school in Nyakach (Kisumu County) for vulnerable children and offers support to the school. The organization works with partners like Aga Khan Health Services, JOOTRH and Oncology Department to offer services to cancer patients. The organization takes the lead in participating in national events, organizing medical camps and community outreach programs with an aim to...

Plan International Meeting

January 27, 2019January 27, 2019 by Faith OtewaNo Comments

I met with Plan International on January 17th. Plan International is an independent children’s rights organization committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalized children and their communities. The organization directly works with the community, schools, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and County Government. PLAN International works in 18 counties across Kenya: Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Tharaka Nithi, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale, Vihiga, Kakamega, Kisii, Migori, Homabay, Kisumu and Marsabit. PLAN’S key areas of focus are; Child protection Improving access to basic, quality education and early childhood development Quality healthcare including water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as adolescent and child health Youth employment and economic opportunities Resilience-building through disaster risk management To achieve part of this core activities, PLAN implements an Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (ASRHR) Project in Kisumu County, in the 2 sub-counties Kisumu West and Seme. The project targets children, parents and the community at large to enhance the wellbeing of the youth. The project implements: Training...

Looking At Gender Based Violence in Kenya

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 by Faith OtewaNo Comments

The 2014 Kenya Demographic and Household Survey (KDHS) indicates that Gender Based Violence (GBV) occurs in all parts of the country. Specifically, 47% of women and 40% of men between ages 15 and 49 reported that they have experienced either physical or sexual violence, while 45% of women and 44% of men between ages 14 and 49 have experienced physical violence (KDHS 2014). Reports further indicate an alarming increasing number of cases, demonstrating that GBV remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the country. The areas Nyanza and Western have the highest rates of GBV cases in Kenya. More than 500 survivors within and beyond are set to benefit from an established Gender Based Violence Recovery Centre in Kisumu (Africa Women and Child Magazine). The Gender Based Violence Recovery Centre based at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) was constructed with support from KEMRI/CDC, which funded the construction of the building. It is a fully-fledged Recovery...

Partner Updates: Tanzania

December 21, 2018December 24, 2018 by Yujung Choi2 Comments

Dr. Sia Msuya Dr. Msuya is the Director of Public Health, KCMU College, Moshi, Tanzania. On June 30th, 2018, she gave a keynote speech during the launching of the book titled “Climbing to the peak of learning success” by Jeremia J. Pyuza at KCMC Conference Hall. In her remarks, Dr. Msuya encouraged young people on the importance of mentorship—how mentors can help guide small thoughts into more innovative ideas to share. She encouraged young people to be proud of their ideas and to share them with others to combine various strengths for improved collaboration. In order to become an excellent author, Dr. Msuya states that an individual has to have passion—passion to share, passion to search for knowledge no matter how small it may be. The journey may be hard and long, and most times, we have hindrances before the journey even begins. However, in these instances, we should instead take responsibility and accountability for every opportunity we have and use it...

Director’s Blog: Winter 2018

December 21, 2018December 21, 2018 by Megan HuchkoNo Comments

Each year, when December comes around, people tend to reflect on the past year, sometimes through thoughtful reflections on progress, challenges or accomplishments, at times through lists of the best or worst and often culminating in resolutions for next year. Sometimes it takes the form of satire, such as the Center’s entry in the DGHI door decorating contest, which asks for some good news for reproductive health for Christmas, providing some tongue-in-cheek examples of what that would be. Indeed, 2018 was a roller coaster for global reproductive health news—key achievements, such as the repeal of the anti-abortion amendment in Ireland, often seemed to be immediately overshadowed by setbacks, such as the failure of a similar bill to pass in Argentina. Konyin Adewumi, DGHI MSc ’17, has reflected on the ups and downs of reproductive health this past year. While acknowledging that this year was difficult for many women, she concluded with overall optimism about the progress on women’s health and...

Looking back on 2018’s reproductive health news

December 20, 2018December 21, 2018 by Konyinsope AdewumiNo Comments

Earlier this month, I looked up from my computer screen and realized that it was December 1st. It felt like 2018 had flown by, almost as fast as it came. As excited as I am to move towards the 2020 elections with the potential for positive change, I think it’s important to take some time to look back at this year’s events that I perceived to be the good, the bad, and the ugly in the larger conversation of reproductive justice. When I think of 2018, I think of multiple, and often emotionally exhausting conversations about sexual and gender-based violence. From the heartbreaking discovery in Northern India that sparked protests throughout the country to the United Nations’ report that 50,000 women a year are killed by intimate partners, news headlines this year have been pretty grim. We all watched in horror as the of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing unfolded, bringing with it, memories of Anita Hill’s similarly traumatic experience decades...

Learning about Global Mental Health, and Teamwork, in Haiti

December 10, 2018 by Megan HuchkoNo Comments

Blogpost by Alex Lichtl, T'19 During the summer of 2017 I traveled to Léogane, Haiti where I, and a team of student researchers, spent two months collecting data on women’s stressors in the community through a Duke SRT program. As a team, we had very little global health research experience, but after one week of orientation we were left on our own to recruit community leaders for interviews and organize focus groups for a project entitled "Mental and Reproductive Health Interventions for Haitian Women: Adapting strategies from community input on coping with stress." At first we were extremely lost, but with the help of our translator team and a lot of perseverance, we managed to reach our data collection goal. We were also fortunate because the women and men we worked with in the community were incredibly welcoming and open to sharing their life experiences regarding reproductive health. Overall, we asked women and men in the community about women’s stressors and coping...

Progress Period: An Introduction to Menstrual Activism

December 4, 2018December 10, 2018 by Carly JonesNo Comments

October 28, 2018 was not merely a day of yellow sunlight and cool fall air, but rather, the origin of a radical transformation of my being facilitated by Progress Period, a menstrual activism club at Duke University. The screen of my phone reported “12:27pm,” lighting anew a sense of urgency beneath my already frantic feet. The event was set to begin at 12:30pm and with the panicked realization that I was indeed going to be late, I barreled down the stairs towards Schiciano Auditorium. At 12:29pm, just as I allowed myself a breath of assured relief that I would make the event on time, I was stopped dead in my tracks. “Outside the (tampon) box: menstruating isn’t just for women,” declared a flyer taped to the glass door. Confusion clouded my awareness and my mind raced with questions, relegating my aspirational punctuality to a non-possibility. Among this maelstrom of questions, the loudest bubbled to the surface: Is menstruation not a qualifier of womanhood?...

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