International Practicum in Uganda: Strengths, challenges, and lessons learned in the field

In the summer of 2010, I had the opportunity to complete an internship with Uganda Village Project (UVP) as part of my MPH requirement for Boston University School of Public Health. UVP is an international public health organization working in the Iganga district of Uganda to promote and advocate for sustainable solutions to the community's health and development problems. As an intern I worked with a team to assess Village Health Teams (VHT) and condom, WaterGuard, and mosquito net distribution chains established in five villages in the summer of 2009. This entailed developing and pre-testing data collection instruments and conducting focus groups, household surveys, and interviews. Additionally, we implemented follow up services and projects including a sanitation campaign, HIV testing, family planning services, and VHT re-trainings. I was also responsible for creating a final report detailing the findings, completed projects, and proposed recommendations. As a participant in this panel discussion I will share my international practicum experience, how it complimented the skills and knowledge I gained in the classroom, the challenges I encountered while in the field, and how the experience has and will continue to shape my career in public health.