Program Spotlight: Public Health Threats in Suriname
In Public
Health Threats in Suriname, students can learn about global public health and environmental issues through an international lens. Over the course of two weeks, students participate in lectures, field trips, and service-learning opportunities to strengthen their connection to the South American country, while studying the threats that affect the people, health, and ecosystems of Suriname. Experiential learning is a key factor of this program; excursions to the town of Brokopondo and local organizations such as the Suriname Conservation Foundation allow students to actively engage with native inhabitants and community experts, gaining vital interpersonal skills and multicultural awareness. The chance to examine subjects like toxicology, pharmacology, and ecosystem science in the context of a different country is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Students will be accompanied by the dean of the School of Public Health, Dr. Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH, and Dr. Firoz Abdoel Wahid, a Visiting Assistant Professor at the EOH Department of the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh. As natives of Suriname and graduates of the Anton De Kom University of Suriname (AdeKUS), Dr. Lichtveld and Dr. Abdoel Wahid have first-hand knowledge of the environmental and public health issues of Suriname, aiding the growth of students inside and outside of the classroom as they encounter and discuss these threats. With a breadth of research background, focuses on environmental health, and expertise on subjects like environmentally induced disease and global environmental health research, Dr. Lichtveld and Dr. Abdoel Wahid are there to support and bolster the personal and academic development of students participating in this program.
The course students will take is Public Health Threats in Suriname: From Ecosystem to Human Health (PUBHLT0350), and features trans-disciplinary science, practice, and policy approaches to addressing public health issues affecting environmental and human health. Through a series of lectures and field trips, students learn about the intersections of ecosystems and community health, with a special area of focus on the medicinal characteristics of plants. Working with local experts from the Faculty of Medical Sciences of AdeKUS, employing community-based participatory research strategies, and tours of an active artisanal gold mine and the Suriname River are only a fraction of the hands-on learning students utilize during this course.
Hear about what students have said about their time in the Summer ’23 Suriname program:
Una Ha
ines:
“Especially memorable was touring the Bureau of Public Health and meeting the people workin gin the malaria lab—people who were, in part, responsible for Suriname’s virtual eradication of malaria, a feat not yet done in most other countries in South America. It made me unbelievably excited to realize I could do what they were doing, too. It really solidified for me that public health is exactly the field that I want to be going into, and that the lessons I learned in Suriname are things that I can bring back into my corner of the world, wherever I end up. As a result of this, I could see myself returning to Suriname to do further work. My greatest hope is that I will get to pass a gift such as this one along some day, because it’s truly meant so much to all of us.”
Lanita DeVine:
“I was also able to delve deeper into public health, and since that’s the field I want to go into, it was a really good experience to just get to see what people are doing in the field of public health and how they’re working to create change. I want to be a change-maker myself and really do things that will help make the world a better place for everyone, so it was really inspiring to see, and it was definitely a memorable experience that I know I’ll carry with me for a long time.”
Colleen Post:
“Since the United States is a developed country, it was interesting to learn about the public health threats that Suriname has as a developing country that relies on the ecosystem’s natural resources. I learned about the importance of the biosphere ecosystem in people’s cultu
re and health.
I have talked my family and friends’ ears off about the unique experiences I participated in during my time at Suriname. From waking up at 4 a.m. to look for sea turtles hatching to having the opportunity to watch, firsthand, artisanal gold mining, the program was absorbing and unique. Never could I get this hands-on learning experience any other way that truly helped me understand and connect to the lectures.”
Cecilia Schiavoni:
“This study abroad was truly a unique educational experience that I am so glad to have had. I learned so many important lessons. I chose to focus on emergency medicine in my case report for this course, and was lucky to tour the main emergency department in Suriname and interview Dr. Esther Fong. It was informative to see how one emergency room serves the majority of the country with limited resources. I hope to incorporate the lessons I learned during this experience into my future in health care with a broader perspective on how health operates around the world.”
Public Health Threats in Suriname is now accepting applications for Summer 2024. You can find more information and apply for this program on the Global Experiences Office website here. Any questions or interest for the program can be directed to the program manager Kelsey Sobecki at kls299@pitt.edu.