Article Category:
Perspective

South-to-North, Cross-Disciplinary Training in Global Health Practice: Ten Years of Lessons Learned from an Infectious Disease Field Course in Jamaica

Henroy P. Scarlett Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Richard A. Nisbett Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Justin Stoler Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Brendan C. Bain Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Madhav P. Bhatta Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Trevor Castle Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Judith Harbertson Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Stephanie K. Brodine Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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Sten H. Vermund Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, and Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Geography, and Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; U.S. Military HIV Research Program Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California; Institute for Global Health, and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0524
Volume/Issue:
Volume 85: Issue 3
Page(s):
397–404
Restricted access
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Global commerce, travel, and emerging and resurging infectious diseases have increased awareness of global health threats and opportunities for collaborative and service learning. We review course materials, knowledge archives, data management archives, and student evaluations for the first 10 years of an intensive summer field course in infectious disease epidemiology and surveillance offered in Jamaica. We have trained 300 students from 28 countries through collaboration between the University of the West Indies and U.S. partner universities. Participants were primarily graduate students in public health, but also included health professionals with terminal degrees, and public health nurses and inspectors. Strong institutional synergies, committed faculty, an emphasis on scientific and cultural competencies, and use of team-based field research projects culminate in a unique training environment that provides participants with career-developing experiences. We share lessons learned over the past decade, and conclude that South-to-North leadership is critical in shaping transdisciplinary, cross-cultural, global health practice.

Author Notes

*Address correspondence to Henroy P. Scarlett, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona Kingston 7, Jamaica. E-mails: henpscar@gmail.com or henroy.scarlett@uwimona.edu.jm

Authors' addresses: Henroy P. Scarlett, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona Kingston 7, Jamaica, E-mails: henpscar@gmail.com or henroy.scarlett@uwimona.edu.jm. Richard A. Nisbett, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, E-mail: rnisbett@health.usf.edu. Justin Stoler, Department of Geography, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, E-mail: stoler@rohan.sdsu.edu. Brendan C. Bain, University of the West Indies HIV/AIDS Response Programme (UWI HARP), Regional Coordinating Unit of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network, Postgraduate Medical Education Building, University of the West Indies Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies Mona, Kingston 7 Jamaica, E-mail: brendan.bain@uwimona.edu.jm. Madhav P. Bhatta, Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, E-mail: mbhatta@kent.edu. Trevor Castle, Ministry of Health, Kingston 6, Jamaica, E-mail: trevicastle@yahoo.com. Judith Harbertson, Military HIV Research Program, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, E-mail: judith.harbertson@med.navy.mil. Stephanie K. Brodine, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, E-mail: sbrodine@mail.sdsu.edu. Sten H. Vermund, Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, E-mail: sten.vermund@vanderbilt.edu.

Copyright:
©The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2011
Received:
20 Sep 2010
|
Accepted:
17 May 2011
|
Published Online:
01 Sep 2011
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
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