Ministry of Health and University of Virginia Research Collaboration June 2012
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| CMO Dr. Patrick Martin |
ZIZ News…June 3 2012 — The Ministry of Health and the University of Virginia (UVa) continue to collaborate to improve health care delivery in the Federation.
Five undergraduate students and one graduate student from UVa have received a grant to carry out research in St. Kitts and Nevis commencing June 5th. The student-led research projects will examine the utilization of primary and preventative care.
UVa students will be interviewing residents who consent to participate in the study. Assessments will be made of the factors influencing their use of health centers and hospitals for care of pregnancies, and care in general including emergencies. Study findings will lead to recommendations to improve health system responsiveness and to reduce health care costs.
The UVa students are supported by the Center for Global Health at UVa and the Jefferson Public Citizen’s Program (JPC). The JPC program is a comprehensive academic public service program that integrates student service and research experiences both locally and internationally.
During the planning phase of the study, UVa School of Nursing PhD student Jamela M. Martin collaborated with Drs. Patrick Martin and Ian Jacobs to fine tune the research activities. Ms. Martin will supervise the five undergraduate students. Professor Linda F.C. Bullock, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean for Research, UVa School of Nursing, is the dissertation chair. The faculty advisor is Dr. Marcus Martin, Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity at UVa.
The project has been approved by the Federation’s Ministry of Health and the Institutional Review Board at UVa.
Relationships between the Ministry of Health and the University of Virginia have been sustained over the past five years as an outgrowth of UVa’s January Term. This course includes lectures as well as mass casualty and fire drills for UVa students and local personnel.