Graduate Program in Health Policy & Administration



Graduate Program in Health Administration & Policy (GPHAP)

Research Assistant/Internship Description

|Date: October 3, 2013 |

|Name of Project: Center for Global Health Research Assistant |

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|Faculty/Mentor Contact Information |

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|Name,Title, Department/School: Center for Global Health |

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|Email: Nkem Dike Chineme, MPH | Program Manager | Center for Global Health | The University of Chicago |

|T: (773) 702-5038 E: ndike@bsd.uchicago.edu |

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|Phone: 773.702.5959 |

|Project Description |

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|Please describe the overall project, why it is important, and briefly describe the student’s role in the project. |

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|There are a number of projects currently underway being led by faculty from the Center for Global Health, any of which may be the |

|project of interest for the research assistant from GPHAP. The projects vary in their specific focus, but all relate to key issues |

|in the field of global health: |

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|1. Dr. Sola Olopade, Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director, Center for Global Health |

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|Dr. Olopade’s current research focuses on mitigating the negative health effects of household air pollution (HAP) in communities in|

|Nigeria, a country in which 90 million people and 70% of the rural population uses solid fuels for household energy. The use of |

|these fuels exposes people to large concentrations of toxins emitted from fuel combustion. The overall goal of Dr. Olopade’s |

|ongoing study is to evaluate the impact of an improved ethanol cookstove (the “CleanCook” stove) intervention on lung function and |

|pregnancy outcomes. Specifically, the objectives of this study are 1) to investigate the ability of ethanol stoves to reduce |

|personal exposures to toxins 2) to compare personal exposure with health outcomes, and 3) to evaluate stove adoption levels and |

|use/likeability of the ethanol stoves. The study is currently being expanded to include measurements of children’s neurodevelopment|

|and risk of pneumonia after their mothers replace unhealthy fuels with the CleanCook stove. This will add an important new element |

|to the project, emphasizing the effects of household air pollution on children’s health. |

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|Also of note is an ongoing project linked Dr. Olopade’s team and the Center for Global Health focused on access to clean water in |

|Ghana. This project focuses on wells installed over ten years ago in rural Ghanaian communities that have since been evaluated |

|infrequently (if at all). Currently, Dr. Olopade and his team are working with contacts in Ghana to develop a plan to assess and |

|repair the wells. This program will allow students to participate in an effort to improve the lives of those living in rural Ghana |

|by ensuring that they have access to a clean and safe water supply. |

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|2. Dr. Funmi Olopade, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics, and Associate Dean of Global|

|Heatlth, Center for Global Health |

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|Research in Dr. Olopade’s lab is primarily focused on a subtype of breast cancer that is highly aggressive, resistant to treatment,|

|and associated with poor prognosis. This subtype, known as estrogen receptor (ER) negative breast cancer, is more likely to affect |

|young women and women of African descent. Women with mutations in the breast cancer gene (BRCA1) are also more likely to be |

|diagnosed with ER negative breast cancer. However, little else is understood about ER negative breast cancer, including its genetic|

|and environmental risk factors, appropriate screening methods, and effective treatments. Information gathered from several studies |

|in Dr. Olopade’s lab will ultimately help develop more effective and less harmful methods to prevent, screen, and treat all types |

|of breast cancer. Despite having lower rates of breast cancer than Caucasians, African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed |

|with breast cancer at an earlier age and are more likely to die from the disease. In search of a genetic explanation for these |

|disparities, Dr. Olopade’s lab was the first to describe recurrent BRCA1 mutations in extended African American (AA) families with |

|breast cancer. Ongoing studies in the lab focus on the prevalence and spectrum of the genetic basis for cancer in African American |

|and Nigerian populations. This research is helping to provide better cancer risk assessment for patients of African ancestry and |

|reveal ancient gene variants that may shed light on these gene functions in all patients. |

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|3. Habibul Ahsan, Louis Block Professor of Epidemiology and Director, Center for Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention |

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|Dr. Ahsan’s research interests focus on studying the inter-relationships between environmental and genetic factors in cancer and |

|other diseases and exploiting information on these relationships at the population level to develop and evaluate effective public |

|health interventions. Specifically, his research integrates environmental, nutritional and life-style factors to better understand |

|and prevent cancer and other disorders of national and international public health significance.  He has published extensively on |

|the epidemiology and prevention of health effects of arsenic exposure and also on the epidemiology of breast and other cancers. One|

|ongoing project Dr. Ahsan and his team are working on focuses on the health effects of arsenic on a population in Bangladesh. This |

|prospective cohort study of ~30,000 men and women in Bangladesh seeks to investigate the intermediate- and long-term health effects|

|of environmental arsenic exposure from drinking water. This is an important project with immediate and profound implications for |

|public health policy in much of the developing world. |

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|Project Location (please note where the RA/Intern will be working): The project location will be the University of Chicago Medical |

|Campus. The exact location where the RA/Intern will be working will depend on the specific project, but the RA/Intern will have a |

|workstation in the CGH office. |

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|Project Timelines |

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|Desired Start Date: |

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|Hours Per Week: 10 |

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|Total Hours: 100 |

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|Responsibilities and Qualifications |

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|Research Assistant Responsibilities: |

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|The RA will work on a wide range of tasks related to his/her specific research project. This person will be able to focus his/her |

|efforts based on personal research interests but will also be expected to assist with the following duties: |

|Data organization and analysis |

|Conducting literature reviews of most current work related to the topic |

|Develop materials for creating awareness and education on the research topics |

|Field equipment ordering and testing |

|Contacting and coordinating with key personnel in Nigeria, Ghana or Bangladesh |

|If the opportunity arises, there is a possibility of travel to either Nigeria, Ghana, or Bangladesh |

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|RA Qualifications: |

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|Interest in global health issues. (Ideally the student would be interested in the research topic of his or her assigned principal |

|investigator) |

|Basic statistical skills |

|Good organizational skills |

|Good communication skills |

|Strong writing skills |

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