Sukanya Mittal
Sukanya Mittal joined Dr. Wamai’s research in the Spring of 2019. In the summer of 2019, she traveled to Kenya with him to participate in the research firsthand. They used an integrated approach, which included both qualitative and quantitative based methods, to sample village clusters and collect epidemiological, behavioral, clinical, vectoral and health systems data. This past summer Sukanya attended a week long training for a group of clinical officers, nurses, lab technicians, and pharmacists that would be working at a newly opened Leishmaniasis Ward at the Chemolingot Sub-District Hospital.
As a person of color and a daughter of immigrant parents, I have always been interested in global health and specifically how certain socioeconomic disparities highly effect health outcomes...
Dr. Wamai’s research caught my interest in the Spring of 2019, and I had the ability to travel to Kenya with him summer of 2019 to participate and observe his research firsthand. Our research focuses on the neglected tropical disease (NTD) known as visceral leishmaniasis in the East Pokot District in Kenya. We use an integrated approach to tackle this health issue by using qualitative and quantitative filed-based methods to sample population and village clusters in order to collect epidemiological, behavioral, clinical, vectoral and health systems data. This past summer I had the opportunity to attend a week long training for a group of clinical officers, nurses, lab technicians, and pharmacists that would be working at a newly opened Leishmaniasis Ward at the Chemolingot Sub-District Hospital subsidized by funds collected by Dr. Wamai for the past five years. Being able to interact and participate in this training was truly a rewarding experience. Not only did I meet many influential individuals from Kenya’s Ministry of Health, but also, I was able to experience health in a different environment, specifically one that I was typically not part of. Through this lens, I was able to learn about what it takes to build an effective and well-rounded health system, and I hope to take this knowledge and apply it to my future endeavors in health.