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INFORMATION FOR

Harry Hyunteh Kim (EMD)

Hookworm Infection, Northern Region, Ghana
We went to the enrolled participants’ households to administer household surveys regarding hookworm infection and daily lifestyle behaviors.

Career goal:

To improve access to care and sanitation in low middle income areas

Internship outline:

I designed my research project under the supervision of Dr. Debbie Humphries. I looked at the behavioral and environmental factors that may be tied to risk factors for hookworm infection in rural, agrarian Ghana.

Value of experience:

I learned about the difficulties and challenges that follow field work in resource-limited settings, and had fun navigating a different cultural context. The electricity would go out every day, and without air conditioning during rainy season, it was extremely hot most days. Food was also a rarity, as there was no restaurant or grocery store to buy food. We mostly relied on food vendors who would set up and sell food on the street for a few hours a day.

Best moment/experience:

After our longest day on the field, working from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m., I traveled back to the guest house in the back of our pickup truck. The sun had already set by then, and I could see the night sky covered in (shooting) stars. Since the electricity was out in town, I could see the stars without any light pollution.

Funding sources:

Downs Fellowship, Stolwijk Fellowship, Yale School of Medicine Summer Research Funds