Notes from the field: Haiti in the aftermath

An international practicum is an important opportunity for MPH students. In the summer of 2012, I completed a practicum with a focus on public health reporting in the mainstream media. The purpose of my practicum was to pair public health professionals with journalists to create a base of responsible media on international health crises. In the summer, I travelled to Haiti to investigate the continuing cholera epidemic with a focus on water and sanitation, the potential effects of the cholera vaccine campaign, and the impact of international aid. My student fellowship was predicated on five deliverables – written and multimedia journalism pieces for distribution via news media platforms - which necessitated specific research, interviews, data collection, photographic documentation, writing, editing, and fact-checking in hopes of publication. The first half of the practicum occurred Washington, DC researching cholera, analyzing epidemiological data from the Haitian Ministry of Health, as well as interviewing public health officials and environmental microbiologists concerning the status of cholera in Haiti. Once in Haiti, I interviewed many Haitians in addition to officials from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, international organizations, and hospital staff in Port au Prince and rural Deschapelles. This practicum synthesized numerous aspects of my MPH curriculum and bolstered my cultural knowledge and experience. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss and analyze the practicum's impact on my MPH experience and career path