Harry Hyunteh Kim (EMD)

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