I completed the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMCR) Global Health Fellowship Summer Program, one of the first programs to attempt delivering a global health experience virtually due to COVID-19. This program exceeded my expectations. I learned so much about global health and was a lot more involved than I thought I would be for the volunteer projects. I had live discussions on various topics such as mental health, social determinants of health, global migration, and the World Health Organization's top threats to global health. All discussions were guided by primary research articles assigned to read. There were also discussions about each of FIMRC’s nine project sites and challenges specific to each site, such as the effects of COVID-19. Additionally, I had live book discussions for two assigned global health books: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder and The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande. I was able to observe live primary care and pediatric care visits, psychology consults and pharmacy visits in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Finally, there were weekly case studies facilitated by a health professional examining common global diseases such as tuberculosis, scabies and cholera.

In addition to these live discussions, readings and clinical observations, I conducted multiple volunteer projects for the Philippines FIMRC site, expanding my knowledge of the Philippines health care system. Project Cavite in the Philippines is dedicated to improving treatment and management of noncommunicable diseases. My projects consisted of creating educational campaigns for Barangay health workers (BHWs, community health workers) to use as a script to teach community members. My first campaign addressed the top causes of mortality in the five regions of the Cavite province that FIMRC covers (Alfonso, Mendez, Indang, Bailen and Amadeo). I created teaching materials explaining heart attacks, which was the number one cause of mortality in three out of five regions. This campaign explained the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, treatment and risk factors. It included topics such as nutrition, alcohol use, exercise and smoking cessation.

My second campaign was a first aid manual teaching how to check and open an airway, checking for breathing and circulation, CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, proper treatment of cuts and burns, preventable complications of gunshot wounds, splinting, how to make an oral rehydration solution, and snake bite treatment. My third campaign focused on maternal and fetal mortality. It addressed health issues such as diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes, obesity, and hypertension complications such as preeclampsia and the effects to mother and child. Maternal nutrition, prenatal care, substance use and smoking with effects to the fetus were discussed thoroughly. Postpartum education such as breastfeeding and postpartum depression were covered as well.

The next project I completed was creating a three-day health camp for children ages 8-13 years old. The first day included interactive educational activities about bullying, gender-based violence and mental health. The second day explained COVID-19 and proper hygienic practices. This included correct hand washing, cough/sneeze etiquette and media literacy. The third day focused on explaining bodily changes during puberty, gender equality and substance abuse. All projects are to be implemented once the clinic opens again in person and data will be collected by FIMRC staff to gauge effectiveness of these interventions.