Admissions Essay - Ugandan Culture and Medicine
My trip to Uganda proved to be an extremely rewarding experience. We spent the first part of the Crossroads program at Hofstra University in Long Island for a two-day orientation, during which we met our group members and shared our interests and experiences. After knowing each other for only 48 hours we embarked upon our "journey". We flew from New York to London, to Entebbe airport, roughly one hour from the capital, Kampala. The next morning we met with officials from PDR (Program for Development and Rehabilitation) who gave us a few guidelines about our project and helped sensitize us to the culture and the history of Uganda. That same day we drove to Luwero (roughly 50 miles from Kampala) to meet our host community and "get settled in". The clergy members with whom we spoke were overwhelmingly friendly, and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The Bishop of Luwero was kind enough to have a guesthouse ready for us. Having expected that each of us would be staying with a separate family, living in our own house with mattress beds and electricity came as somewhat of a shock. Though I wish I could have had the experience of staying with a Ugandan family, our living arrangements worked out quite well. We were able to do our own cooking, use charcoal stoves, and wash our own laundry by hand.
Though we were originally supposed to be stationed at Kiwoko Hospital, roughly 8 miles from Luwero, the Church of Uganda made last minutes changes in the program. We spent the first two weeks visiting various health centers in Luwero. Given our limited medical experience, we weren't able to provide much help to the patients in terms of medical care. However we did gain a great deal of experience by talking to the medical staff and observing local healthcare practices. One of the wards at Kasana Health Center was dedicated entirely to testing and counseling for AIDS patients. Talking to these patients and the counselors proved to be extremely fascinating. On one occasion a group of HIV patients set up a dance/performance aimed at conveying the experience of the disease through dancing and music. We were able to visit Kiwoko Hospital during the third week of our trip, however. Most of our time there was spent shadowing doctors (most of them Ugandan) and observing surgeries.
In Charles Darwin’s life he had helped make a significant advancement in the way mankind viewed the world. With his observations, he played a part in shifting the model of evolution into his peers’ minds. Darwin’s theory on natural selection impacted the areas of science and religion because it questioned and challenged the Bible; and anything that challenged the Bible in Darwin’s era was sure to create contention with the church. Members of the Church took offense to Darwin’s Origins of Species because it unswervingly contradicted the teachings of the book of Genesis in the Bible. (Zhao, 2009) Natural selection changed the way people thought. Where the Bible teaches that “all organisms have been in an unchanging state since the great flood, and that everything twas molded in God’s will.” (Zhao, 2009) Darwin’s geological journey to the Galapagos Islands is where he was first able to get the observations he needed to prove how various species change over t...
While sitting in my dorm room watching a DVD, I looked around and suddenly realized how lucky I was. I lived in a decent sized room with lighting and air conditioning that I could adjust to make myself comfortable. Then I thought how even more lucky I was to be able to go home too yet a nicer living facility at my own house that I have to share with nobody but my immediate family. It made me begin to wonder how many people there are that do not possess this luxury. That is when I thought of Habitat for Humanity. The only thing that I knew about it was that they built homes for underprivileged families with inadequate shelter. I wanted to see though exactly how this specific organization made a difference in peoples lives. Hopefully my research will enlighten my readers of the living situations of many families around the world, maybe even convincing some to volunteer themselves.
Charles Darwin, the Father of Evolution, was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution, transforming the thinking of the entire world about the living things around us (Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)). After working on his theory for nearly 20 years, he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. As soon as the book was released, the controversy began with each sides gaining followers until the climax on July 10, 1925. The idea that animals could “evolve” and change into new species, including humans, was one that challenged not only how people thought about the natural world, but challenged the story of the creation from the Bible itself. Even though Darwin himself never said that humans “evolved” from apes, everyone took it as a logical extension of his new theory. It went against the idea of argument for design that had unified theology and science for decades (Moran 5). This new threat to Christianity and the social culture of the time was one that would transform state laws on their educational curriculum.
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
A: I am excited to use many of the professional skills and experience I have acquired here in the United States during my Peace Corps service. With my education as a Medical Science major, I believe I have a deep understanding of how many of the intricacies of the body work. This education will work perfectly when educating others on the biological aspects of HIV/AIDS as well as other diseases that are prevalent in Botswana. Through my HIV/AIDS counseling and test administration here at Washington State University, I have also had a good amount of practice explaining the virus as well as the dangers associated with risky behavior. Through this counseling experience, I have learned a lot of new things about testing procedures and drug administration, as well as new scientific discoveries associated with the virus and the war against it.
Spink, Gemma. "AIDS." AVERTing HIV and AIDS. 23 Dec 2009. Web. 11 Jan 2010. .
The hanta virus is not a new foe to humanity. This mysterious and sometimes fatal disease has plagued humanity for over 1000 years. This virus, most likely originating in China over 1000 years ago, is transmitted by human contact with mice. Only relatively recently has the hanta virus captured the attention of the United States. Although the hanta virus has been known for such a long time, there is little known about the virus. In the United States most cases are found in the southwestern part of the country, although cases have been reported from all four corners of the country. Recently, there have been successful tests done on prospective vaccines for the hanta virus. Despite this, strains of the hanta virus kill many people a year for lack of an effective medicine or vaccine (www.pharminfo.com).
Charles Darwin was a man of science. He had a true passion for all things involving both plants and animals. Darwin made many contributions to the field of science, but his main contribution that he is most well-known for involves his theories of evolution, or more specifically, how species tend to change over long periods of time through a process called natural selection. Natural selection is defined by Darwin as the “preservation of favorable variations and the rejections of injurious variations“ (Jacobus 900). Even though many of his theories have now been embraced by the scientific community as natural laws in motion, much controversy remains over whether or not his ideas should be perceived as true scientific law. Despite the discoveries of overwhelming amounts of evidence, many people still believe that evolution is exactly what Darwin called it—a theory, and nothing more.
In the early 1840s, the main principles of Darwin’s theory of evolution were formulated by the mechanism of natural selection; however, he did not publish it. Although evolutionary theory sprouted in many places, Darwin rejected the publication of his theory, and it was not until 1859 that he published “On the Origin of Species” (Darwin, 1859).
Cultural competence in health care provision refers to the capacity of health care systems to offer good care to patients and accommodate employees, who have diverse beliefs, behaviors, and values to meet their cultural, linguistic, and social needs. It comprises of policies, attitudes, and behaviors that integrate to form a system that can operate efficiently in cross cultural conditions. Healthcare organizations look at cultural competence from two major viewpoints. Firstly, it is a tool to enhance patient care from all backgrounds, social groups, languages, religions, and beliefs. Secondly, it is a tool that strategically attracts potential clients to their organizations and, hence, expands
...ld Health Organization (WHO) report shows that, most people living with HIV or at risk for HIV do not have access to treatment, care and prevention and there is still no cure. In spite of these challenges, there have been successes. Global efforts have been made to address the epidemic, specifically in the last decade. The HIV prevalence rates have been reduced in a small but growing number of countries due to prevention and new HIV infections are believed to be on the decline. In addition to this, the number of people with HIV receiving treatment in resource poor countries has increased 10 times since 2002, nearing an estimated 4 million by 2008.
Krishna, Anirudh, et al. "Escaping Poverty And Becoming Poor In 36 Villages Of Central And Western Uganda." Journal Of Development Studies 42.2 (2006): 346-370. Business Source Complete. Web. 20 May 2014.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the brilliant mind behind the 17th century’s “Faust”, illustrates a combining structure of desire and self-indulgence. As a brilliant poet and artiste during the Enlightenment Age; Goethe’s poetry debates on the far-reaching rationalism that man is willing to go above and beyond to achieve his goals. All throughout the poem, Goethe projected a sense of unrelenting dissatisfaction of how a man’s sense of inaccessibility, and his emotional need to come to a realization of the world he lives in.
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution took years and years of research. Throughout these years he found different people who were also interested in this phenomena and had them join him in the study. Before Charles conducted his research he looked back in time to other scientists who wrote about this theory. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, believed there were natural laws in how the world came to be. “He believed that there were “higher” species and also “lower” species, and the lower ones gave rise to the higher” (Rosenberger 3). He believed against the usual myths about how the universe came to be and had similar ideas to Darwin. In 1831, Charles was asked by Capt. Robert Fitz-Roy to set sail on the H. M. S. Beagle, which sailed around the world. “Charles was to record information about the geology,...
The emergence of HIV/AIDS is viewed globally as one of the most serious health and developmental challenges our society faces today. Being a lentivirus, HIV slowly replicates over time, attacking and wearing down the human immune system subsequently leading to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) at which point the affected individual is exposed to life threatening illnesses and eventual death. Despite the fact that a few instances of this disease have been accounted for in all parts of the world, a high rate of the aforementioned living with HIV are situated in either low or medium wage procuring nations. The Sub-Saharan region Africa is recognized as the geographic region most afflicted by the pandemic. In previous years, people living with HIV or at risk of getting infected did not have enough access to prevention, care and treatment neither were they properly sensitized about the disease. These days, awareness and accessibility to all the mentioned (preventive methods, care etc.) has risen dramatically due to several global responses to the epidemic. An estimated half of newly infected people are among those under age 25(The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic). It hits hard as it has no visible symptoms and can go a long time without being diagnosed until one is tested or before it is too late to manage.