USF College of Public Health (COPH) alum Marie Denis-Luque, who was born and raised in Haiti, came to the U.S. with her family just before she turned 17, settling in Tallahassee, Fla., where she resides today.

“I learned English in high school and was the first in my family to even entertain the idea of going to a university,” she recalled. “It was because of a teacher in high school who wanted me to go to college. I didn’t know what college was, but she helped me to get into a university.”

Denis-Luque visited other campuses, but felt they weren’t her place. When she got to USF’s campus,  she fell in love with it. “USF felt like home.” she said. “I felt comfortable being in the company of other Haitian students.”

Initially inclined toward medical school, Denis-Luque soon discovered her true passion was public health. Her involvement in the Haitian Club Creole on USF’s campus and learning about public health from a fellow club member played a significant role in this shift.

Denis-Luque realized that public health was aligned with her aspirations and what she wanted to achieve in her life.

“I did not have a perfect GPA, but the COPH made room for me, and in return I was able to help others through the work I’ve ultimately been able to accomplish.”

Despite facing challenges, including the responsibility of caring for her sister and the need to work multiple jobs, Denis-Luque’s enthusiasm for public health never waned.

“When I found public health, it was exciting. I think some of my classmates thought I was a total nerd because every semester I was in awe of everything I learned. I took my first course, then I took another, then I applied to the college,” she said.

Denis-Luque credited her mentors and the welcoming nature of the college as invaluable in her educational and career path.

”When I see Dean Petersen, I still say, ‘Oh, that’s my dean.’ When I see Natalie Preston, director of the Office of Engagement and Constituent Relations, I say, ‘Those are my people.’ “

Denis-Luque’s journey wasn’t confined to the classroom. Her commitment to public health extended to her homeland, Haiti.

Her perspective on Haiti was transformed during a health education trip with USF. She was challenged by her mentor to view Haiti through the eyes of a public health official, prompting her to see her home country in a new light. She said this experience fundamentally changed the way she approached her work in Haiti, making her more attuned to public health hazards and necessary interventions.

“I viewed everything through that lens,” commented Denis-Luque. “As I got off the plane, I noticed several unworking planes on the runway, some rusted. Getting off the plane was borderline dangerous for those not strong enough. As we headed to our hotel from the airport, there was garbage on almost every street corner. Of course, watching the dangers of public transportation, people hanging from bus doors, and sitting on top of vehicles drove me crazy, too.”

Now Denis-Luque said she wants to be someone who helps challenge students’ thinking, just like her mentor challenged her to think through that lens.

Denis-Luque said it was during her visit to Haiti as a graduate student when she met a little girl with HIV that led her to become the founder of the nonprofit organization Caring for Haitian Orphans with AIDS .

“The little girl was living in the hospital courtyard with no one caring for or loving her,” she said.” I decided I could do something to express love for her. Though acting on this feeling to help this child was more significant than anything I had ever done, I had no idea what I was signing up for. Engaging in this work has been more fulfilling than anything I have ever done.”

She said the work of the organization has touched the lives of nearly 70 children, providing them with opportunities and support they might not have otherwise had.

“My nonprofit assumes the role of parents for these children,” Denis-Luque said. “We provide food and shelter, cover the cost of hospital care, recreation, and education, including vocational training. At this time, close to 50% of our staff were once our residents. Since unemployment is very high in Haiti (estimates ranging from 50-80%), locating employment for our young adults is unattainable. Once they get to a certain age, we make sure they receive the education needed to work for us for them to be able to sustain themselves. Then we hire the women to play the role of mothers to the children.”

“December will be 20 years since we started,” she said. “Many lives have been impacted. Children who would otherwise not be here. Women who are positive who work for us, whose life–God knows what it would be today–if it were not for being in the program.”

Denis-Luque graduated in 2005 from the COPH with a MSPH with a concentration in epidemiology and an MPH in community and family health.

Now Denis-Luque is working on her PhD from Florida State University Askew School of Public Administration and Policy. “I’m in the dissertation phase at the moment, and I am looking at how to improve non- governmental organizations that work in Haiti,” she said.

Looking ahead, Denis-Luque envisions staying in academia and said she is hopeful to eventually return to the COPH. “That would be a dream come true. A professor. I want to put it out into the universe,” she said.

In the future, Denis-Luque aspires to work on grant-funded projects and to involve students in her work. She said she believes in challenging students to step out of their comfort zone and discover their passions.

Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?
Working as a medical doctor in a small hospital in a little province in France where I’d be the only doctor in town and everybody would come to me.

Where would we find you on the weekend?
Probably at Costco.

What’s the last book that you read?

“Just Another Emperor? The Myth and Realities of Philanthrocapitalism,” by Michael Edwards.

What superpower would you like to have?
Invisibility.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?
“Dirty Dancing.” I love Patrick Swayze.

Story by: Liz Bannon, USF College of Public Health

The post Finding a home away from home in public health appeared first on College of Public Health News.

It’s something of a catch-22: Sleep is essential to good health, yet sleep is often reduced after traumatic events like sexual violence.

What can be done to improve the sleep of traumatized people, especially those experiencing sexual trauma and living in low-to-medium income countries with multiple health disparities? 

Conducting research is a first step.

 Cité Soleil: “Violent” and “Marginalized”

To better assess the relationship between sleep disturbances and non-partner sexual violence (NPSV), a team of academic researchers from around the country, including those from USF’s School of Social Work Interdisciplinary Research Lab (SWIRL), studied men and women post-earthquake in Haiti’s Cité Soleil. 

Violence, and in particular sexual violence, affects residents of Cité Soleil disproportionately said the researchers.

It’s a city that’s been characterized as “an understudied urban shantytown … [with the] nation’s most violent and most marginalized neighborhood.”

It’s been estimated that 50 percent of the residents of Cité Soleil have experienced NPSV versus the 7.68 percent in Haiti in general. Despite that grim statistic, the authors are quick to note that most Cité Soleil residents are law-abiding and hard-working.

The research team partnered with Haiti’s OREZON Cité Soleil (Organization for the Renovation and Education of the Cité Soleil Zone) to conduct the work.

The study, “Self-reported sleep disturbance patterns in urban Haitians: A latent class analysis,” 

has several co-authors, including SWIRL Director Dr. Guitele Rahill and Swirl Associate Director Dr. Manisha Joshi, both with USF’s College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS), School of Social Work and Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, USF College of Public Health associate professor and director of public health initiatives for SWIRL. Salinas-Miranda is also the director of the Harrell Center.

Other authors include the CBCS’ Dr. Kerry Littlewood, New York University’s Dr. Judite Blanc and Florida International’s Dr. Christopher Rice. The research was published in the International Journal of Mental Health in February.

Violence and Sleep Disturbances

The researchers studied not only sleep disturbance among men and women who live in violent Cité Soleil, but they also examined the relationship between NPSV and sleep disturbances. Thirdly, they modeled associations of NPSV experience and sleep disturbance risk factors separately for men and women.

“This study has several unique contributions,” Dr. Rahill said. “The first is in its intentional focus on an understudied community and population whose race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status have rendered it nearly invisible with respect to health research. Our findings indicate that women and men in Cité Soleil are at great risk for suboptimal sleep patterns. In engaging and involving Cité Soleil residents in this study, we respond to an ethical imperative that sleep health and trauma interventions are a moral obligation, a human right and an issue of social justice for individuals worldwide, regardless of their race, ethnicity, country of residence or socioeconomic status.”

The study involved over 500 men and women, most in their late 20s, from Cité Soleil. Interestingly, the researchers found that more men than women in Cité Soleil reported NPSV, although female victims of NPSV reported more sleep disturbances than male victims. 

“The data were obtained through an anonymous survey, which made it easier for men to report having been victims in a setting where non-heteronormative sexual activity is stigmatized and illegal,” Dr. Joshi explained. “But, although more men [31.7 percent] reported experiencing NPSV, women who reported NPSV [22.9 percent] were more likely to report disrupted sleep. Women who reported more frequent sleep disruption were also more likely to report suicidal ideation.”

Other findings:

• Overall, 58 percent of the Haitians studied experienced insomnia (nearly two times the 30 percent reported in the U.S.) and 40 percent restless sleep (more than five times the 7.7 percent prevalence reported outside of Haiti). 
• Sleep disturbance score for NPSV victims was significantly higher than that for non-victims.
• Women and men who reported a higher level of suicide intentions and poorer physical health had increased odds of often having sleep disturbances.
• Women who reported often having sleep disturbances were also more likely to be depressed (although this was not found in men with frequent sleep disturbances).

Sleep Health and Quality of Life

“Sleep health is critical to overall health and quality of life,” noted Dr. Salinas-Miranda. “Yet the amount of sleep is often reduced after traumatic experiences, thus affecting overall sleep health. We encourage physicians, clinicians, public health advocates and policymakers in global and humanitarian settings to accentuate sleep health and NPSV prevention in disaster- preparedness programs, and to incorporate sleep-health promotion activities in interventions implemented after large-scale traumatic events. Even with limited access to medical professionals, sleep-health awareness and health-promotion activities can empower Cité Soleil residents to take charge of their sleep health and improve their overall health and quality of life.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post Sleep, sexual trauma and recovery appeared first on College of Public Health News.

USF College of Public Health (COPH) alumna Sunny Guidotti says that as a child she always dreamed of working internationally on global issues.

Guidotti’s interest in public health sparked after she earned her undergraduate degree in environmental engineering from Michigan Technical University with a graduate certificate in international sustainable development.

“I wanted to pursue a path that combined my technical skills and interest in the world, with social justice and global health,” said Guidotti, who was born and raised in Brazil and speaks five languages. “I really enjoy working under pressure, so I knew emergency response work would be a good fit. It requires agility, empathy and good judgment. I really appreciate that you can see the immediate impact you’re making on people’s lives.”

“I really enjoy working under pressure, so I knew emergency response work would be a good fit.”

Guidotti says she was drawn to the COPH because of its high ranking and well-respected global health program (she received her MPH with a concentration in global health and a graduate certificate in humanitarian assistance). The fact that she was offered an assistantship working with College of Engineering’s Dr. James Mihelcic, an expert in water, sanitation and sustainability, made it all possible.

“Combining my background in environmental engineering and development with a respected public health school was a perfect fit for me. Being in a warmer climate after my undergrad in Michigan was also refreshing,” she joked.

Earthquakes, droughts, war and more

As Guidotti was finishing up her MPH degree in 2010, Haiti experienced a massive earthquake. She took a job with Oxfam GB, a British charitable organization with the aim of reducing global poverty. She was sent to Haiti to lead a public health engineering team delivering emergency water, sanitation and hygiene services to people in camps and vulnerable communities affected by the earthquake.

Guidotti and her colleagues were deployed from Port-au-Prince to Artibonite as first responders to the cholera outbreak. They worked to reduce the threat of cholera there as well as in Port-au-Prince and other areas of the country (cholera is a life-threatening diarrheal disease caused by the ingestion of bacteria-contaminated water).

“How you treat water depends on a few parameters,” Guidotti explained. “In Haiti, for example, to help prevent cholera transmission, most water could be treated either by simple chlorination or with an extra step to reduce turbidity [turbidity is the cloudiness of fluid; measuring turbidity is a test of water quality].”

Guidotti went from earthquake-stricken Haiti to refugees fleeing to Liberia to the Horn of Africa drought crisis in Kenya to conflict-affected Myanmar. She led public health programs in places such as camps for internally displaced people (IDP) and disaster-affected communities. Guidotti developed, managed and raised funds for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs, supervised staff and coordinated the WASH sector on a national scale.

Looking to get back to sustainable development work, Guidotti took a job with Action Against Hunger, a global non-governmental organization committed to ending world hunger. She was stationed in Myanmar, where she worked in humanitarian and development programs, developing strategies and partnerships at a national level. From Myanmar, Guidotti moved to be a global WASH advisor for Action Against Hunger in New York.

Saving lives, preventing diseases

Today Guidotti works for UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children. She’s a regional WASH specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean and is stationed in Panama City, Panama. “It’s been one of my dreams to work for UNICEF. I’m really proud of the work we do,” she commented.

“It’s been one of my dreams to work for UNICEF. I’m really proud of the work we do.”

Clean water is a human right recognized by the UN General Assembly.

“The benefits of clean water, sanitation and hygiene to public health cannot be underestimated,” noted Guidotti. “Lack of WASH can lead to diarrhea, which is the second-leading cause of mortality in children under 5 globally. It’s not only important for preventing disease and keeping us healthy, but it’s also important for human and economic development—and particularly important for women and children. Many girls have their studies interrupted because of a lack of WASH products and facilities,” she explained.

“The benefits of clean water, sanitation and hygiene to public health cannot be underestimated.”

Guidotti says what she loves about her job is her ability to work with and for people in various countries and contexts and contribute to social justice. She also enjoys working as part of a global community.  

“It’s in my nature to work hard and take a lot on, and I am motivated to work hard for the public,” she said. “It drives me to put myself in another person’s place. If I was living in a country that just experienced a disaster, I would hope that whoever was working to bring in water and other essential services would be on the job seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It’s a real privilege to work with and for people in need, both in times of emergency and stability, and to know the work you’re doing is contributing to humanity in some way, preventing disease and death and ultimately contributing to sustainable development goals.”

Alumni Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

I always wanted to work internationally on global issues, especially for the United Nations. I remember driving home from school daily and seeing children in the streets and wishing I could change that when I grew up.

Where can we find you on the weekends?

With my family, spending time outside—going to the ocean, the rain forest or a park, or listening to live music or strolling in the old part of town.

What was the last book you read?

“21 Lessons for the 21st Century,” by Yuval Noah Harari.

What superpower would you like to have?

To be in multiple places at the same time.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

I don’t have a favorite movie per se, although there are lots of good ones out there! Generally, I enjoy documentaries, comedy-dramas and biographies. To name a few: “Human,” “Central Station,” “Hidden Figures” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post Testing the waters: COPH grad works the world over on water, sanitation and hygiene appeared first on College of Public Health News.

While 32.5 percent of women in Haiti have experienced a form of intimate partner violence (IPV), the determinants are not well understood.

But, researchers from the USF College of Public Health’s Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence have delved more into the “who.”

Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, director of the Harrell Center, and James Occean, an undergraduate USF chemistry student and Harrell Center research intern, examined the “Prevalence and Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Among Women in Haiti: Understand Household, Individual, Partner, and Relationship Characteristics.” Their work has been published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

“Intimate partner violence is a significant public health problem in developing countries, specifically in my native country, Haiti,” said Occean, who is also a research assistant in Dr. Monica Uddin’s lab at the USF Genomics Program.

Using results from the 2016-2017 Haiti Demographic and Health Survey, they examined the prevalence of IPV and its subtypes (emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) among married or cohabitating women between the ages of 15 to 49 years by their husbands or partners.

“The Haiti Demographic Health Survey is a nationally representative dataset, which is supported by USAID and uses the gold standard methodology of population-based surveys; and this was the latest data available for Haiti,” Salinas-Miranda said.

They found that of the 32.5 percent of women who experienced IPV, 24.7 percent was emotional, 16.8 percent was physical and 10.5 percent was sexual violence.

They also found the odds of reporting IPV were influenced by a range of other factors.

“Women who reported being afraid of their husband also reported experiencing IPV, and we saw that women who reported controlling behaviors—such as their husband not letting them see friends—also experienced IPV,” Occean said.

Having children in the home, exhibiting attitudinal acceptance of “wife-beating,” previously witnessing their own father beating their mother, and having a partner who drank alcohol were all shown to increase the likelihood of a woman experiencing IPV.

“We also saw that women who witnessed parental IPV were also more likely to report IPV victimization and this shows that, not only does it affect the women, but if affects future generations,” Occean said.

Salinas-Miranda, who mentored Occean during his first publication, said that these findings point to the need for a cultural change.

“These findings indicate a need to really work at changing the culture of male-dominance or patterns of toxic masculinity that may be there,” Salinas-Miranda said. “The fact that a sizable portion of women accept wife-beating is very concerning.”

Salinas-Miranda said while this is an initial study, future studies could examine how those factors differ in varying provinces in Haiti and how it compares to other countries.

“It’s reassuring to see a young male trying to do research in this area because it’s a problem that affects us all. Yes, it’s gender-based violence, but it affects us all and we should all care about this. Men play a key role in breaking the cycle of violence,” he said. “While we assisted James initially, he eventually took off on his own, and we are extremely proud of him.”

 Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

The post Harrell Center identifies factors associated with increased likelihood of intimate partner violence in Haiti appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Remembering when she landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to begin her U.S. Peace Corps service, USF College of Public Health alumna Wilnie Merilien said, “I was shaking with uncertainty and apprehension, but I was following my passion.”

After a competitive application process stressing applicant skills, adaptability and cross-cultural understanding, Merilien was invited to serve as a volunteer with Peace Corps in October 2012.

While completing her 27-month service, Merilien was assigned as a community health and HIV/AIDS prevention volunteer. In this role she was responsible for developing institutional and community partnerships, identifying and addressing public health needs in diverse communities, and maintaining and presenting accurate quarterly reports.

During her Peace Corps service, was stationed in the Amhara region of Ethiopia where she worked with a variety of high-risk groups such as commercial sex workers, day laborers, orphans, vulnerable children, religious leaders and local/government agencies.

She also managed to learn two languages while in Ethiopia: Amharic, the Ethiopian national language, and American Sign Language.

Alumna Wilnie Merilien with local Ethiopian children (Photo courtesy of Wilnie Merilien)

Merilien is exceedingly proud of her Peace Corps service, but there were many hardships she had to overcome in order to better serve and become a trusted member of the community.

“When the people of my town were informed they were receiving an American volunteer, they envisioned a Caucasian male, not a Haitian-American woman. My ethnicity and gender ensured that I would have a constant awareness of my relative status in Ethiopia,” she said.

Over time members of the community began to accept her and important relationships were developed that proved to be invaluable. They strengthened her belief that her place was in the field of public health.

Merilien completed several different projects during her service. One project was developing and co-facilitating a gender equality club with a twelfth grade English teacher at the local high school. She was able to use her two disciplines that she had studied at USF – public health and women and gender studies – to teach local Ethiopian youth relationship skills, teen issues, decision-making skills, communication skills and about HIV/AIDS.

Merilien graduated from USF receiving her bachelor of science in public health with a minor in women and gender studies in 2012.

She wasn’t always a public health major, though. After taking an Introduction to Public Health course Merilien decided to change her declared major from psychology to public health in the spring of 2011.

After switching majors she said that she said she could feel a change within herself.

“Classes became challenging and meaningful. I was engaged in real discussions that could impact real people’s lives,” Merilien said.

Wilnie Merilien and her Peace Corps family (Photo courtesy of Wilnie Merilien)

Merilien was born in Cap-Haitian, Haiti and moved to Florida when she was five. Having come from an underserved immigrant community she realized she has an important perspective to offer to the field.

“I can vividly remember the scenes from my childhood of my family’s summer visits to Haiti. To see the tragic destiny of countless victims of Polio and poverty has changed all of us. It has also made me the person and professional that I am today,” she said.

This connection to Haiti and underserved communities is what drives her passion for improving the public’s health.

“I am a product of marginalized communities and their unique stories. To improve the quality of life in these populations is not just a subject of interest; it’s a responsibility to my community and all those who struggle for the most basic right, the right to health.”

Merilien currently works as a service representative at the Social Security Administration where she educates elderly and disabled individuals about Medicare and its policies. She plans to continue her education by getting her MPH in global health with a concentration of global disaster management and humanitarian relief.

After completing her MPH degree, Merilien wants to pursue work in her birth country where rates of infection for HIV and other preventable diseases have continued to rise and eventually become a health and development officer for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). There she could evaluate programs and plan policies that could help great numbers of people.

Recalling her last day of her Peace Corps service, Merilien remembered looking at her phone and seeing 11 missed calls from her Ethiopian family and friends.

“All day they were calling to tell me what a difference our work had made in their lives, but really they changed me. Once I understood what it meant to serve; I could not turn back,” Merilien said, “I am committed to increasing the quality of life for all communities, especially those who are underserved and underprivileged.”

***

Fast Five for COPH Alumni:

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?
I wanted to be a doctor, but I learned early on that I am squeamish.

Where would we find you on the weekend?
On the weekend, I am normally riding my bike, going to the local markets and the beach.

What is the last book you read?
The Black Jacobins.

What superpower would you like to have?
My superpower of choice would Teleportation, there are so many places and cultures I would like to explore and experience.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?
Beetle Juice.

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

The post Peace Corps service confirms Wilnie Merilien’s public health passion appeared first on College of Public Health News.

USF College of Public Health student Bradley Keating is a humanitarian for the masses. As a trained firefighter and certified medic, he has been involved in relief efforts in disasters across the globe for the last four years in Haiti, Japan, Israel and the Philippines.

Brad Keating, MPH

After the typhoon in the Philippines, Bradley, as an undergraduate, was assigned by a United Nations team to hike into the hills to establish contact with the villages that had not been heard from since the disaster.

The needs of the villagers were assessed, their deceased were accounted for, and a medical clinic was set up by Keating and his team, which also identified an outbreak of typhoid in one region and were able to report it and receive necessary supplies.

“In the city of Ormac, population around 250,000, we set up a field hospital and saw hundreds of patients a day, often working 18-hour shifts,” Keating said.

That hospital that Keating was involved in establishing is still up and running today.

“I wanted to pursue a degree,” Keating explained, “which could help me end up in a career where I was able to follow my global health passion full-time. I met with Annette Strzelecki, the undergrad advisor, and was impressed with the BS program.  She has helped me over the last two years plan my coursework and helped me overcome any issues I would run into.”

Keating is a full-time firefighter and a full-time student. Although he faced difficulties in completing assignments and finding time to study, he was able to overcome those obstacles with the compassion and support of his wife.

Since graduating this spring, he began working this fall on the online MPH in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Relief in the Department of Global Health.

Keating hopes to one day work in global health in the developing world for an agency such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control or the Gates Foundation.

“I would like to travel and establish programs in these developing areas to better the population’s overall health,” he said.

Keating cleaning a wound in the Philippines,

assisting on the ground in Haiti,

and leading a demonstration in Israel.

Story by Infiniti Mincey, USF College of Public Health.  Photos courtesy of Bradley Keating.

The post Bradley Keating personifies the humanitarian spirit of COPH appeared first on College of Public Health News.

A $2 million grant is supporting a multidisciplinary collaboration with Université d’ Etat d ’Haiti researching ways to mitigate the disease among Haitian adolescents.

Participants the S.H.A.R.E. Haiti Summer Institute: (back row l to r) Girma Juste, UEH program planner; USF Associate Professor Wilson Palacios; UEH Co-PI Professor J. Calixte Clerisme; CBCS Dean Julie Serovich; USF Assistant Professor and Co-PI Guitele J. Rahill; Associate Professor and Co-PI Celia Lescano; UEH Departement d’Ethnologie Dean and S.H.A.R.E. Fiscal Manager Jacques Jovin; and S.H.A.R.E. Co-Investigators USF Associate Professor Nancy Romero-Daza and USF College of Public Health Dr. Julie Baldwin. (seated front row l to r) USF College of Public health Research Assistant David Tilley and mentees from UEH Proefssors Judite Blanc; Ascencio Maxi, Jr. Delano Jean; Hugues Foucault and Jean Denis Lys.

With HIV/AIDS as its target, a five-year project between USF and the Université d’ Etat d ’Haiti (UEH) has gotten off to an auspicious start between an orientation meeting during spring break in March and a two-week summer institute taking place on campus this month.

An interdisciplinary team of scholars from USF is working with faculty from UEH’s Department of Ethnology on a project they’ve named S.H.A.R.E. Haiti for Syndemics HIV/AIDS Research Education in the Caribbean nation. Together they are building a program of funded research that supports ongoing and sustainable HIV/AIDS research in the country to mitigate the impact of HIV among Haitian adolescents.

“Syndemics is all about two or more diseases in a population and how they interact with the social and cultural conditions that exacerbate them,” said Guitele Rahill, assistant professor in the School of Social Work and a co-PI for the $2.04 million grant that is supporting the effort. “For this project we needed the diverse contributions of different kinds of experts. We each bring expertise that makes this an especially strong and powerful combination that can accomplish quite a lot.”

A Powerful Team

Rahill, Associate Professor Celia M. Lescano, from USF’s Mental Health Law and Policy (MHLP) Department in the College of Behavioral and Community Science and Professor Calixte Clérismé from UEH are the three principal Investigators.

Haiti-based Clérismé and Haiti-born Rahill have enjoyed a long-standing collaboration on previous National Science Foundation and NIH grants. A sociologist, Clérismé possesses wide-ranging experience in conducting health research and program evaluations in Haiti. A great portion of his focus has been on HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health and reproductive health.

Lescano’s research is in health promotion and intervention with vulnerable and underserved/minority populations and combines with her substantive experience in obtaining and managing more than $10 million from NIH funding.

The rest of the team, from both universities, adds still more interdisciplinary strengths.

Professor Julie Baldwin comes from the USF College of Public Health, Associate Professor Wilson Palacios from the Criminology Department and Professor Nancy Romero-Daza is from the Anthropology Department. They will provide training and mentorship to the UEH scholars.

Palacios and Romero-Daza will be primarily responsible for the development, organization, and implementation of the curriculum for web-based and in-person course portions of the S.H.A.R.E. Haiti training over the next five years.

Palacios’ background in social epidemiology of drug use and abuse and criminology and his history of funded grant activities on HIV risk behaviors are essential in helping UEH Faculty Scholars to identify factors that interact syndemically to increase HIV risk for Haitian adolescents.

He said, “Our initial orientation visit to Haiti was a life-changing event for me; I am more committed than ever in ensuring our Scholars are provided the resources needed in developing sustainable research careers focused on Haitian families and children in Haiti.”

Romero-Daza’s expertise in Syndemic Theory provides depth in explaining the interaction among factors that potentially increase HIV risk for Haitian adolescents. She has a strong background in federally-funded research, program design and evaluation of HIV/AIDS education and prevention initiatives in Connecticut, Florida, Lesotho and Costa Rica.

Her experience in Haiti was similar to Palacios’, ““Our visit provided a wonderful opportunity to learn so much about our scholars in the program, our university and community partners, and the people of Haiti. We truly look forward to this collaborative effort and hope to make a difference in the health and well-being of Haitian youth.”

Rigorous From the Start

“This interdisciplinary research and educational collaboration is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NICHD) Global Partnerships. The competition for funding was fierce and in order to be chosen for the team, UEH faculty scholars underwent a rigorous and competitive selection process. The final five who participated in the orientation in March in Haiti and who are attending the Summer Institute at USF are Professors Judite Blanc, Hugues Foucault, Delano Jean, Jean Denis Lys and Ascencio Junior Maxi.

Once selected, each S.H.A.R.E. Haiti faculty scholar received a laptop computer purchased in Haiti and was paired with someone to provide a guiding hand.

“UEH faculty scholars were carefully paired with USF mentors after a deliberate process which involved presentations by each individual, interviews, and matching of background and research interests,” Lescano said.

In all, a group of 20 scholars, administrators, IT experts, program planners, mentors and volunteer translators are working together to make the two-week Summer Institute a success.

They had the opportunity to get to know each other last March.

“The initial trip to Haiti was very important because it provided our team with an opportunity to see some of the communities where our Haitian colleagues will be conducting their HIV-related work, and to familiarize ourselves with organizations that are working tirelessly to address pressing health and social issues in Haiti,” Lescano said.

On the day following the orientation, UEH Dean of Ethnology Jacques Jovin pulled the USF team aside to say, “The scholars are extremely excited about this S.H.A.R.E. Haiti project. They told me that now that they have been officially and personally embraced by the USF team, and have had the opportunity to meet you face-to-face, they are even more motivated to participate and to learn.” Clérismé added, “Clearly, we can see that … they are working in the interest of UEH and in the interest of our country and of our Haitian people.”

Making Progress

Now that the UEH scholars, administration and staff are on campus for the summer institute, the scholars have been engaged from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. daily learning about HIV and different populations which includes young people, women, children, men who have sex with men – as well as HIV in Haiti in general. With each population studied, they have practiced identifying the syndemic factors that increase HIV risk for its members. The training also includes workshops on the ethics of research, on the conduct of community based participatory projects, and on quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

“The Scholars are extremely enthused about what they have learned and they are very excited about putting that knowledge into practical application in the form of an eventual grant submission,” Lescano said.

Underscoring that point, UEH faculty scholar Lys said, “I am confident that my participation in this two-week intensive training program will not only enhance my ability to perform research, but also make me an asset for UEH and the promotion of research in Haiti.”

His fellow faculty scholar Jean added, “I can really understand now the goals we pursue, and I feel again, it’s a privilege to be a part of it… I now know the mechanisms to search for an NIH grant. The presentations are really very informative and clear.”

And there’s still a lot of territory to cover.

“I feel that I have so much to learn from the competent mentors at USF. By the end of the project, I hope the Haitian population could cope better with the complex situation of HIV,” said UEH faculty scholar Maxi.

His colleague, Blanc, added, “I was very proud to be selected as a participant in this important project. After only two days at this Summer Institute, I am so excited to try to submit ideas for a grant proposal on trauma, autism and HIV prevention among youth.”

The team expects the project to have a lasting impact.

Foucault said, “Participation in this program will reinforce the institutional capacity of our department to better understand management of international funds and projects. It will empower the professional and academic capacity of professors to write fundable grants that are grounded in the ethical conduct of research with human subjects. On a personal level, it increases my knowledge related to a new conceptual, methodological and theoretical perspective from which to view HIV-AIDS…a new biopsychosocial paradigm, Syndemics Theory.”

A Dream Come True Project

UEH is the first academic institution in Haiti to obtain a Federal-Wide Assurance (FWA) authorization/designation through the efforts of the S.H.A.R.E. Haiti team at USF.

“This signifies an institution’s commitment to following the standard regulations of research with human subjects and is a prerequisite for the establishment of an institutional review board,” Lescano explained. “It is also a crucial part of infrastructure development at UEH. An FWA is an essential component of being a research organization.”

Rahill said, “This collaboration is a ‘dream come true’ for me, to be able to join with Haiti-based Scholars and community leaders to make a dent in reducing HIV health disparities for Haitians, and with a team of individuals who genuinely care.”

Each day of the summer institute has brought both institutions closer together.

Jovin said, “With the welcome addresses of (College of Behavioral and Community Sciences) Dean Serovich, Dr. Paul Stiles (MHLP) and Dr. Tennyson Wright (School of Social Work), we see more clearly the involvement and support of USF in the project. We are very impressed by the engagement and commitment of the Drs. Lescano and Rahill and their colleagues in the project. We want to congratulate and thank them for the efforts they have made since the preparation of the project until now.”

Rahill notes that while the incidence of HIV and AIDS has been declining – both in Haiti and the United States, the disease is still problematic for the small nation.

“HIV-AIDS should not define how anyone thinks of Haiti,” Rahill points out. “Still it has been devastated by the disease. We’re seeking to build on the progress already made and stem the tide as much as we can.”

Reposted from USF News

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