Cultural Resources for Health Professionals

The Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology faculty are committed to incorporating concepts of cultural competency into its academic courses and research. The Department has many projects that assimilate microbiology, entomology, advanced biomedical technology, social sciences, and community research to investigate the dynamics of an infectious organism in a community. Dengue, for example, currently does not have effective chemotherapies for treatment or a vaccine for prevention. Therefore, modifying human behavior to reduce contact with mosquitos is an important component of prevention and control measures. Changing human behavior requires an intimate knowledge of the cultural aspects of a community. Subsequently, it would work in communities to solve infectious diseases (e.g., water storage, waste disposal, ability to understand disease transmission, cultural myths, and traditional prevention methods). Although changing long-held habits and behaviors is difficult, the Department is dedicated to finding preventive and control measures, considering these cultural characteristics.

Department members are part of the Global Infectious Disease program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This program trains young students and scientists from Africa and Asia to conduct applied and basic research in areas of infectious disease control and prevention applicable to their home countries. Allowing these students to contemplate combining scientific concepts with the customs and traditions of their native country is essential for designing new culturally appropriate disease control programs.

The Minority Health International Research Training program for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate trainees, also funded by NIH, provides training and summer research experience abroad to sites that include Thailand, India, Liberia, and Cameroon. Pre-travel coursework includes educational modules on community-based participatory research and cultural sensitivity before students participate in their 8-week research project abroad. During their time abroad, students select and participate in a cultural project, which they report on in addition to their research project upon return. The Northern Pacific Global Health (NPGH), funded by the NIH, provides training and research experience abroad in Africa and Asia. Trainees undergo a competency-based training program, including cultural competency and interacting and engaging with people from different cultures.