FHM Partners with Duke Global Health Institute Student Research Training Program

May 15, 2014

FHM will serve as the community partner to four Duke University Student Research Training (SRT) Program students. Working with a faculty director and a community partner, students will be at the center of global health challenges and have the opportunity to employ skills learned in the classroom in the community.
The SRT program is “an intensive experiential learning program that engages second and third year undergraduate students in the development, implementation and assessment of a community-based project.”  This summer, FHM will oversee four SRT student work in Leogane, Haiti. Their research will consist of community surveys and health assessments. The SRT students will go out into the community to conduct two separate research projects:

• Parent Acceptability of HPV Vaccine – This project will be administered within a health clinic and will involve surveying patients about their views on and acceptability of the HPV vaccine.  We are interested in understanding people’s level of awareness and/or openness to a vaccine program in-country.  An HPV vaccine program does not currently exist in Haiti.
• Hypertension Survey – This project will be administered through in-home health assessments.  Study participants will be surveyed on their health status, dietary habits and hypertension knowledge.  Students will also use Doppler and blood pressure readings to determine a participant’s health status and to refer them to neighboring health clinics, if follow-up care is advisable.

Both research projects have been approved by the Duke and Haitian IRBs and will run from June 2 – July 25, 2014.