Support ONE Act a week

http://one.org/blog/2011/06/24/one-act-a-week-send-a-message-of-encouragement-to-african-youth/
What is Act a week:

Courtesy to ONE.

Aid works

Whether aid works has been a great subject of debate amongst people in and out of the aids circle. For all the problems that aid has been criticized for, we cannot ignore the positive (sometimes life-changing) impact that aid has made on the poor.
One of the greatest physics superstars and a ex-instructor at MIT, Walter Lewin is know for his famous motto: "physics works!". Here I want to show you the living proof that says it out loud that aid works! Although it is no magic bullet as some would wish it to be, just like every other practical solution to problems in a world rife with complexities:
http://www.one.org/livingproof/en/

The journey of summer self-discovery-Part 2

From my second informational interview this summer--pure amazingness...especially useful for those with a background similar to me. 

1)  On what one should do as an undergraduate at MIT

Cross-register with Harvard to take some courses on global health

If necessary, one should contact people in Harvard to get course evaluations and syllabus.

Most Harvard classes have a heavy focus on reading, writing and verbal discussions. As such, one might be at a disadvantage as a MIT undergraduate. One relatively easy class in this aspect is Global Health Challenges ( refer to their website for the complete list ). Other classes to consider are those on statistics and data analysis, especially if one is not confident and familiar in these two areas).

Develop as extensive a network as possible as a student at MIT. Get to know administrators working in your department, faculty members, TAs, in and outside of the classroom.

Look into alternative career options if you have been focused sorely on academia/non-government agencies. Experiences such as consulting is likely to come to handy one day. It also increases your credibility when applying to future graduate programs and employment openings.

Really polish your communications skills. Take HASS classes and speak up in class. These skills are essential for the future prospect as a graduate student in global health and beyond.

Spend some time in MIT library and search for journals/course materials etc that are relevant. The medical journal Lancet sometimes has interesting articles about global health.

2)  On applying to graduate degrees in public health/global health

If you are thinking of doing any sort of graduate degree in global health, a Master of Science in public health is something good to start with. An alternative is a MPH (master in public health). However, MPH often requires previous working experience or a MD degree.

To be considered for admission, one should have some rudimentary skills in quantitative data analysis skills and a strong passion for global health. To gain a head start, one should contact the admission office for the particular program one is interested in and get to know the faculty members sitting on the admission committee. Another added advantage is working experience prior to applying. If you are not sure about going into global health or think you are lacking in the skills/assets other applicants might have, taking a gap year is a good option. Places to look for work include 1) Research Assistant openings in different  universities 2) Academic & government institutions like IHME 3) consulting opportunities.

If you are worried about money, most master’s degrees in global health are not funded, as you probably already know. However, there are ways around this! Harvard for example, offers funding for master’s degree candidates in environmental health. Although the content of the program isn’t strictly within the domain of global health, it still teaches some of the important skills that are transferable to global health studies. Degrees such as this one will serve as a good springboard for options in the future, for example, applying to a PHD degree in pubic health. 

Informational interview with Dr. Stefano Bertozzi

(Note: The responses are not direct quotes, just the main points I learned from Dr. Bertozzi's responses) 

Qn:   Describe a typical day of your work/ some of the projects you are currently involved in e.g. the trip to South Africa?

Ans:  Now, I am mostly in charge of doing a manager’s job:  10-12 hours of meetings focused on transformative  technology in global health e.g. vaccines etc., strategies surrounding regulatory issues of drugs and vaccines, negotiating with government officials. I am also responsible for working with PEPFAR and WHO in coordinating our responses to the global epidemic of AIDS and TB.

Qn:   What first drew you to global health? You did a bachelor degree in biology like I am doing now. But then got involved with health policy & impact evaluation of health projects? How did that happen?

Ans: I started in academic medicine. However, doctor’s degree is not critically important. Quantitative skills e.g. statistics, economics etc are important for future employment in the field of global health. Right now, we really need more talented young people coming in with those skill sets.

Qn:  Did your work experiences in global health turn out to be what you first expected in the early stage of your career? What do you enjoy most about working in this field?

Ans: I have done field work in Congo and Tanzania and worked 11 years in Mexico. I have also been employed by the World bank. I have been enjoying my work greatly. The sense of achievement and of you are actually helping people live a better life on the population scale is the greatest part of it all. 

Qn:  What are some important points to think about before deciding to go into the field of global health?

    Ans: you got to like different cultures, different people. And a lot of traveling. I have just flown to South African in 24 hours, stayed there for about that much time and come back to the United States.

Qn:   What skills do you think are important for one to gain at the undergraduate and graduate level in preparation for a career in global health?

Ans: Cross-register at Harvard. Learn things on a broader scale than a single cell or a single protein: take physiology, anatomy, immunology. And I wish you all the best in pursing global health!

My summer attempts to find a path in life-Part 1. Advice and thoughts will be appreciated.

Before I came to college, I have always lived the dream of becoming a biologist working on the front line of finding cures for the incurable diseases. However, things and circumstances have changed. As you can see from my introduction, I have taken a renewed passion in international development, especially global health. Ever since I was a young child growing up in the farms in the rice fields of southern China, I have felt a vague calling to get into the field of international development. But I have not been in the right environment for that thought to flourish. Now, in MIT ihouse, I feel it is finally the right time for me to pursue what I really love to do for the remaining years of my life.

Having said all that, I still knows little about what doing global health is like in the big real world. So this summer, I set off to talk to people who know more than me.

The first person I had the honor to talk to this summer is Dr. Stefano Bertozzi, the director for the AIDS/TB program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (watch Dr. Bertozzi on the interview at AIDS 2013: http://www.aids2031.org/library/videos?videoid=42)

The interview details will be coming in the next post.

Some of the international development blogs that I enjoy

1) http://chrisblattman.com/
Blog by Chris Blattman, an assistant professor at Yale in the department of Political Science and Economics. He has some excellent pieces regarding the different aspects of international development. He also gives some very practical advice for students thinking about going into international development.
2) http://www.one.org/blog/
This is the official blog by ONE, one of the biggest and I think the greatest non-profit organization specialized in grass-root advocacy to pressure the congress into fighting global poverty. They have recently, in conjunction with GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization) and others successfully pushed for an increase in budget that will go towards immunizing 4 million children worldwide from preventable diseases. So that is pretty awesome right?
3) http://www.owen.org/
The blog from the recently-returned-to-the US development economist Owen Barder who now works for the Center for CGD (center for global development). I greatly enjoyed his posts about aid transparency and his interesting experiences in Ethiopia.
4) http://practicalaction.org/blog/
Started by the famous economist E.F Schumacher, this non-profit organization has come a long way in its role of assisting the poor through the implementation of appropriate technological solutions. I am personally not a huge fan of appropriate technological solutions. I strongly recommend you check out their website. They also have excellent educational resources for those interested in learning how to build some of the things that they use to help make the lives of the poor easier.
5) http://aidontheedge.info/
Trained as a good biologist and a fan of Charles Darwin, I cannot help getting intrigued by some of the posts on this blog that bridges concepts in evolution to the incredibly complex business of international aid. If you enjoy this, you might also want to learn more about complex theories, which I find equally interesting although I still have to find more about it.

These are what I have currently on my RSS feed. You are greatly welcome to add to the list.

Introduction to my blog

This blog is created to document some of my experiences and thoughts in my daily life. As for now, I intend to have a focus on international development and global health for this blog. There might be occasional blogs about movies, music, food and other random things that I enjoy.

To help you know a little bit more about my personality, I have copied the '25 things about me' from my facebook page:
Rules: 
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. 

1. My childhood hobby was to barbecue sausages and potatoes in the fields. I built up good physical endurance there cos 90% of the time, i was chased after by incensed farmers running with "weapons" in their hands... 

2. Up to I was 14, I kept arguing with people on how i REALLY saw a UFO flying past my classroom window in broad daylight and fed a 7-story tall dinosaur in the zoo. (I tend to confuse dreams with reality, but God knows which is real!) 

3.I seriously at one point believed the word "gullible" cannot be found in dictionary...I was so damn stupid. 

4.My roommate once listed all the people i commonly hang out with and came to the chilling conclusion that I attract weirdos! Do i? 

5.In my past time I was probably a gold fish...i keep eating as long as there is good food in front me. I lay flat on the street of Bugis after a frantic steam-boat eating session. My poor friend had to call in an ambulance to rescue me...An aunty walked past pointed me to her friend as a good eg of crazy teenage behaviors nowadays. 

shame of my life~ 

6. people told me I would be popular as a lesbien (horror screams), but i am REALLY ok with being a straight old spinster. 

7. The first time I went to school with a pony-tail, I was laughed by my classmates for days...(u got why i never want to keep long hair now) 

8. I am the head of a secret underground gang in JC. 

9.When I stayed at HC hostel, I played basketball with a group of aunties on the HC basketball courts weekly... Believe me, they are imba (a singaporean slang for being inhumanly good at something)~ 

10.My initial motivation to take KI was the teacher is hot. (God forgive my sins. Pray he won't c this) 

11.Small kids lost in their ways always came to me for help during a certain period in my life. But they all address me as "gege(big brother)"~(am i really that manly?) 

12.I used to keep lizards as pets. (Woo, they are really cute) But they suffocated to death in a box filled with worms (their favorite food)...My dad was the culprit. 

13.Before 16, I was a miserable misanthrope who despised all homo sapiens, including myself. 

14. why am i only half-way through the list!!! 

15. Emm, i recently start to think I am really as fat as the giant pig i once saw in a world-rarity exhibition after seeing a lot of really skinny people going on diet. 

16.If my mum has not strongly opposed it, i would have carried on my plans of living a life diving with the Great Whites. 

17.Apparently, a girl called Grace looks exactly like me. My heart sank when my friend told me patiently three times that "you are Grace what?" in the canteen after my repeated questioning. 

18. If i am ever going to get married, I want to marry someone with a ultra-rare surname. 

19.My friend often think I have a extremely high IQ and extremely low EQ. I disagree with both hypotheses -.-... 

20.90% of my life was spent in laughing for no good reason... 

21. When I look like I am thinking, I am really not. 

22. I used to be a crazy manga fan! My secondary school physics textbook=my first manga production. pg. 20-pg. 120 was a popular read in class. 

23. I think I can never grow up. 

24. And i seriously do not want to. 

25. I want to have an identical twin. (though my friends commented that two of I would certainly wreck havoc on the galaxy)


Hope you enjoy this blog!