My current projects are many and varied, but I’ll be spending a lot of time on these two:
Infant death verbal autopsy: Tribal* populations have a much higher infant mortality rate than non-tribal populations, verifiably in the VMH catchment area and probably also nationwide, and we’d like to find out why. I am developing a questionnaire to elicit cause of death information from local families that have lost an infant in the last year, and hopefully (IRB fingers crossed!) I will be able to travel from house to house with community health workers and translators to speak with them. Everything about the project sounds daunting—from the goal of getting IRB approval within the week, to the logistics of traveling to so many villages, to the emotional content of every interview—but I’m excited to devote a lot of work to one project, and this one sounds insanely interesting and important.
Gestational diabetes risk assessment: One of the other students and I are putting together a manual for health worker training in the clinical aspects of GDM risk assessment—blood pressure measurement, blood glucose monitoring, BMI calculation, and diet recommendations. I’m most excited for the nutritional component, in which we will work with a nutritionist to estimate the nutritive value of local dishes. Food + math + micronutrients? = Sign me up!
*The word “tribal” is commonly used here to talk about the traditionally forest-dwelling communities that live in small villages, generally in remote areas, who for the most part have been displaced from their original habitats by dam construction projects and/or animal preservation laws. I recognize that “tribal” may have negative connotations to my readers, but it is used at SVYM without judgment or condescension. Still—this tribal designation has a complex meaning. It evokes a history of discrimination and neglect from the government, distrust of the medical system (likely founded in truth), and a lifestyle not well integrated into modern Indian society. Please try to read it that way in this blog.
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