Reflections from MHIRT Students: The Beginning of My Remote Nicaraguan Experience

We have completed two weeks of the global health practicum already! Time is flying by quickly. Although it has only been two weeks, we have been lectured on some very interesting topics relating to positionality, privilege, the mission of AMOS, and basic global health and community-based participatory research methods. Our research project is looking to implement mHealth technology in rural Nicaragua to improve communication between the community health workers and the community members, as well as improve various health outcomes. Searching through the literature, I have found a lot of interesting information on the usefulness and positive effects of the implementation of mHealth in remote/rural communities worldwide.

In addition to the MHIRT program, I am currently taking an American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene course through my medical school. What I have learned thus far in the course has been very relatable to the MHIRT program, and it has provided additional background information on many global health topics. I have also continued to read a book that I purchased a few months ago, Open Veins of Latin America, which has been providing an in-depth understanding of struggles faced in Latin America for centuries due to colonialism. While learning about global health, I think it is important to also be educated on culture and language. If people want to work around the globe, it is important to communicate and build a relationship with the communities in which they want to conduct research.

Although I wish that I was in Nicaragua, getting a fully-immersive experience, I am still grateful and excited to have the opportunity to work with AMOS and to see what our project will yield. This is a unique time in global health, and this experience is providing all of us with a chance to practice global health in an adaptive manner, which could possibly become the norm in the future.

p.s. If anyone is looking for culturally-relevant books on Nicaraguan history during the Somoza dictatorship, read Death of Somoza and Sandino's Daughters. I have previously read both of these books during a college course, and they provide an engaging way to learn about Nicaraguan history through testimonial narratives.