Immersion Presentations
Every year our immersion participants present their project deliverablesOver an eight-week period, interns from universities like Princeton University, University of Texas – El Paso, and George Washington University participate in an intensive virtual and in-person immersion program where they learn about the work of PACH and FIBUSPAM. With the support of PACH and FIBUSPAM mentors, the interns apply their knowledge and creativity to develop projects that will support the health needs of the communities in the Ecuadorian Andes. Many members of our PACH and FIBUSPAM community contributed to the development of these projects focusing on the themes of indigenous culture, Ecuadorian history, health care delivery models, agriculture, traditional medicine, systems thinking, sustainable development, agroecology and project management
Indigenous Nutrition in Chimborazo
MPH student and PACH intern Amandari Kanagaratnam presents a desk review on indigenous nutrition issues in Chimborazo including: child malnutrition, population effects, contributing factors to malnutrition, decolonizing approaches, existing capacities and recommendations for program development.
Recommendations for Improvements in Health Care Outreach at FIBUSPAM
Intern Muskan Effendi presents her findings after conducting needs analyses at hospital FIBUSPAM. Special topics include: risk mitigation in the operation theatre, language accessibility, and hospital needs.
Agroecology Potential in Chimborazo
Interns Kira Emsbo, Kaila Avent, and Sarah Drapkin share their perspectives on the potential development of a collaboration among PACH, FIBUSPAM, and the local Caliata Initiative. Major topics include recommendations for irrigation systems, mitigation of outmigration, promoting agroecology in Chimborazo, and methods for sustainability and replication of this program.
Special Projects in Community Health
Intern Klea Tryfoni shares her experiences as a summer intern and presents the special project deliverables that she worked on independently and in collaboration with our international team of medical students.
The Medical Anthropology of the Andes
A presentation on the daily realities of indigenous Andean communities specifically focusing on traditional medicine, nutrition, mental health, and other aspects of wellbeing.
Epidemiology for Health
A desk review of national and sub national health statistics, demographic health surveys and recently conducted medical and public health research publications with conclusions about the health status of the patients that we serve, demand for services, and potential areas for FIBSUPAM expansion. This analysis also includes Covid-19 data including prevalence, mortality rates, and information on vaccine accessibility.
Farming for Solutions
A presentation of a proposal to support small farmers during and after the pandemic by networking PACH, FIBUSPAM and other agriculture associations and practices to combat the effects Covid-19 and promote health, economic and environmental well-being during a time of food insecurity.
Cornea Transplant Action Plan
A deep dive analysis on the need for ocular tissue transplant and an action plan to uptake this program at the FIBUSPAM clinic.
Training for the Future
In Ecuador medical students are not required to receive a bachelor’s degree before entering medical school and only receive on average five years of education. Residency programs are also virtually non-existent. Under this project the team will research current requirements to become a doctor in Ecuador and compare that to the requirements of becoming a doctor in the United States. Building off of some of the effective components of the traditional American residency program while keeping in mind local culture, the team will create a plan to start a residency program at the FIBUSPAM clinic for local medical school graduates