Graduate / 'disaster preparedness and infectious diseases' - Environmental health at U of M personal statement [6]

Personal stament for mph in environmental health

My heart melted and I broke down in tears when I witnessed the realities of life in K internally displaced peoples' (IDP) camp Abuja, Nigeria, a refuge to people who fled the persistent Boko haram killings in Northern Nigeria. Having gone there as a part-time volunteer, it was my first time in close proximity with victims of insurgence and I was understandably curious. Their experience had been traumatic- stories of rape, starvation, families fleeing their homes at night, members left behind probably killed, female children abandoned by parents eager to unburden themselves- were common. The living condition however, made me doubt how fortunate they really were as the camp reeked of decay, human waste and unwashed bodies. Most suffered from various forms of communicable diseases because there was neither portable water, nor visible methods of sewage disposal. The only shelter they had were the clothes on their back. My interest in environmental health sprung from this experience. I am passionate about developing sustainable ways to maintain sanitary conditions in disaster areas especially refugee camps, to help improve the quality of life of those affected by such misfortune. By doing this, resources can be channelled into procuring aid and ultimately, rebuilding. This is the reason I want to join the environmental health program at U of M.

I have volunteered to different causes for over ten years and currently volunteer to M, a non-profit organisation that caters to IDPs in Nigeria. As a medical doctor, my duties were primarily to offer free medical care. My focus however, changed that day. I was going to ensure that these people learned to live healthier, with more dignity and I was going to teach them how. Having practiced medicine in the tropics for three years, I have learned to work under pressure and make do with meagre medical supplies. In this case however, I quickly surmised that no amount of medicine was going to be enough, without tackling the source of their illness. That day, with the help of the older children, I taught those who came to our make-shift clinic how to keep their environment clean, separate and dispose waste with minimal pollution and made them understand how essential it was to their survival. On subsequent visits, we mapped the camp and made signs to mark areas to be used only for bathing, washing and refuse disposal. Time away from the camp not spent at my two jobs- a primary healthcare centre and a fertility clinic- was spent collecting relief materials from donors.

The condition at the camp was similar to my childhood environment. The difference, I was home and had a mother to teach me. At five, life felt different in our rural community U, south eastern Nigeria. Being an only daughter with two elder brothers, our lives depended on the farm left by our father who died of an undiagnosed illness before I was born. My brothers and I learnt to cultivate and indeed become subsistence farmers at an early age. We worked to supplement our mother's meagre income from her job at a small bakery in the outskirts of our village. Our sources of income however did not leave room for luxuries like hospital bills. At twelve, marriage proposals came, seeking me, offering to "lighten our burden". My mother turned them down, even though we practically lived on charity, sending me off to boarding school and away from prying eyes. Boarding school however, was not as safe as she thought.

I obtained my medical degree at E University Nigeria, in 2012 and currently hold a position as an assistant lecturer at Federal University N. Though my research experiences vary, I have taken advantage of each opportunity to learn. My first exposure to public health was in my 5th year as a medical student, when we were required to carry out an independent research to qualify for our examination. My class was divided into groups of four, I led my team to study Female Senior Secondary School Students' knowledge and experience with sexual harassment at school. I proposed this topic following my own experiences. We sampled public and private schools who didn't have sexual harassment policies, where girls didn't know they were allowed to report abuse. We organised group counselling sessions where we taught various forms of sexual harassment, possible solutions, encouraged the schools to employ guidance counsellors and make clearly stated sexual harassment policies. From this research, I learned to interpret data and estimate sample size so that it truly represents the relevant population.

During my 18month internship at the UC hospital, Nigeria I participated in The World Maternal Anti-fibrinolytic (WOMAN) Trial- an international, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled drug trial of Tranexamic acid in the management of post-partum hemorrhage. I recruited and screened patients who met the criteria, obtained their informed consent, administered the drug, recorded outcome, and followed up at the post-natal clinic. During the Ebola virus outbreak which coincided with the Nigerian medical doctors' strike, the emergency rooms recorded mortalities that were not only as a result of viral infection, but from "preventive" approaches learned via rumors, as well as ignorance expressed by the public and healthcare givers. I initiated a survey of knowledge of Ebola virus treatment and prevention strategies amongst health care workers in UC hospital, with the aim of structuring their future training. At its conclusion my discovery prompted the Ebola Virus Detection and Prevention Committee (EDPC) at UC hospital on which I served, to organize focused training sessions for community health extension workers in rural areas who happen to be the primary source of health related information to rural dwellers.

Environmental health at U of M appeals to me because its faculty researches address my areas of interest, particularly the works of Professors O and O which emphasize disaster preparedness and infectious diseases. I aspire to acquire knowledge that will equip me to do more on a larger scale, to someday work on relief projects like doctors without borders and eventually have my own program to improve living conditions at refugee camps. Having spent my whole life in an underserved part of the world, I have first-hand experience of environmental factors that contribute to the spread of infection and hands on experience in their prevention and control. I am therefore, confident that I have a wealth of knowledge to contribute to the program. Participating in research has helped me consolidate my expertise in the management of ethical issues and develop skills in data collection, management, and interpretation.