During the 2007-2008 academic year, several students from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health traveled with faculty from The Center for Refugee and Disaster Response to pursue exciting field-work experiences abroad. Read all about their travels to Peru, Thailand, and Jordan below. For more information about the MPH Field Experience Award Fund and recipients of the awards from previous years, click here.
In January 2008, a team of MPH, PhD and undergraduate students and professors from JHSPH, Columbia University and Lehman College went to Peru to conduct a post-earthquake disaster assessment to assess the impacts of the earthquake that took place off the southern coast of Peru on August 15th, 2007.  We trained local health workers to conduct household surveys and health facility assessments while we (the students) conducted residential damage assessments; this survey data coupled with GIS coordinates will be used to map and evaluate the effects of the earthquake as well as the relationships among spatial, environmental, and demographic characteristics that increase risk during disasters.
Estimating prevalence of labor trafficking among Burmese migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, Thailand: In January 2008, Charlotte Dolenz and Dennis Brophy traveled to Samut Sakhon, a province on the gulf of Thailand just south of Bangkok, to participate in the first phase of a study to estimate the prevalence of labor trafficking among Burmese migrant workers working in the seafood processing industry in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. The study is funded by the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region and is a joint initiative between the Johns Hopkins Center for Refugees and Disaster Response and the Labor Rights Promotion Network (LPN), a local NGO. Working with Courtland Robinson, Charlotte and Dennis met with LPN staff and local community members to develop the study design and establish an initial understanding of migrant worker community issues in Samut Sakhon. Their involvement with the project continues as they assist in the development of an IRB proposal and survey instruments.
During the January 2008 winter intercession, Allen Andrews, Jennifer Leigh, Farah Bader, Neerav Goyal, and Rakhi Sinha traveled to Jordan to learn more about the health care needs and access of Iraqi refugees living in Syria and Jordan. The group came together last summer, fueled by a common interest in the right to health and the challenge of guaranteeing that right for displaced populations. As these MPH students investigated the situation in Jordan and the work being done by the few organizations on the ground, they came to understand that there were still significant knowledge gaps in the particular health care needs of this population, their ability to access services, and the quality of the services that were available. Dr. Shannon Doocy of the JHSPH Center for Refugees and Disaster Response (CRDR) helped the group collaborate with the new country director for the International Medical Corps (IMC) in Jordan. He was charged with developing IMC services for Iraqis in Jordan, amongst other programs, and was similarly interested in doing an assessment, specifically of the population IMC would be serving.  The student group worked with Dr. Doocy, the IMC staff, clinics of two NGOs serving displaced Iraqis in Amman, Jordan, and a team of Iraqi physician interviewers. Together, they developed and implemented a survey assessing health care needs, access to services, healthcare seeking behaviors, and quality of healthcare services. During their time in Jordan, they were able to help finalize the survey and design a database and data tracking system, as well as train the interviewers and facilitate implementation of the survey in seven NGO clinics. The students also used their time in country to conduct a number of key informant interviews, with clinic staff, health professionals in Jordan’s health system, and staff of other NGOs working with refugees, such as UNRWA and Premiere Urgence.
The experience provided the group with valuable insight into the larger context of social, political, religious, and economic tensions in Jordan and Iraq, as well as the individual situations of Iraqis displaced in Jordan, and the challenges faced by organizations trying to serve them. After returning, the students continue to engage with CRDR and IMC, to see what further insights can be gained from the survey data that will aid in serving this population directly, or advocating on their behalf. 
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