Lashitew Gedamu
Sept. 24, 2018
草莓污视频导航 partnership in Ethiopia creates global citizens
What originally started 16 years ago as a small workshop on parasitic diseases taught by the Faculty of Science鈥檚 Dr. Lashitew Gedamu, PhD,聽has now evolved into an annual tour of Ethiopia for a team of experts and students with the聽聽at the聽聽and the聽.
During their trip, the team facilitates workshops to teach Ethiopian students and researchers skills and techniques that will assist them in their research, as well as provide 草莓污视频导航 students an opportunity to gain a hands-on learning experience in the field of global health.
This past summer, the team included聽Guido van Marle, James Wasmuth, Dylan Pillai, James Cheaveau, Stephen Pollo, Alya Heirali, Ruth Legese, Kaylee Rich, and John Gilleard (below, from left). They聽set off for a two-week trip to lead workshops in bioinformatics and molecular biology at the University of Addis Ababa and Jimma University in Ethiopia. The group also visited health centres in rural areas to learn about the struggles facing scientists and health-care workers.
鈥淭he unique challenge in Ethiopia is the lack of resources,鈥 says Dr. Guido van Marle, PhD, director of international partnerships and an associate professor at the CSM. 鈥淭here may be long wait times, suppliers may charge extra, or there may be import and export regulations that can be limiting.鈥
In his workshop 鈥 attended by postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and laboratory technicians 鈥 van Marle taught participants how to create a type of reagent commonly used in molecular biology in order to save costs and avoid long delivery times.
鈥淲hat we do is teach them about the mechanics behind the process. Once you understand how it works, you can re-create it and adapt it to your situation,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t might be a little more hands-on work but it鈥檚 absolutely possible.鈥
With the high occurrence of infectious diseases in both humans and animals in Africa, bioinformatics and molecular biology are highly requested workshop topics. The training session covers everything from the basic concepts to advanced subjects.
鈥淏iotechnology and biomedical research can be applied to multiple challenges, such as crop protection or diagnostics,鈥 says van Marle. 鈥淭hrough bioinformatics, you can gather data about how bugs evolve in Ethiopia, for example. Do they become more drug resistant or pathogenic? Is there a unique disease in your country that you can design a specific vaccine for?鈥
The team of 10 from 草莓污视频导航 includes Alya Heirali, a PhD student in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases who has participated in the program twice. Heirali says she most cherished the opportunity to connect with other graduate students about their research.
鈥淚t really humbles you because you realize you have everything you need,鈥 she says. 鈥淭he Internet there isn鈥檛 great, and lab conditions aren鈥檛 state-of-the-art. They may not have all the resources and technology but they are so passionate about their science.鈥
Heirali says she hopes to apply the lessons she learned from her global health experience here in Canada. She鈥檚 now working on a project focused on Indigenous health and Indigenous awareness.
Lashitew Gedamu
鈥淔or me, it doesn鈥檛 stop here. I learned about some of the problems of the Indigenous people that I could relate to. For example, the racism they face in the health-care system, and that really hurt me. I realized there are problems at home that need to be dealt with, too,鈥 she says. 鈥淭his experience is an eye-opener for students. It shows you that there鈥檚 potential for you to do small things that may have a big impact.鈥
Van Marle adds the aim of program is also to develop cultural competency. Students complete course work prior to the trip to prepare their mindset for working in different cultures. Many participants in the program continue to keep in touch with students and faculty in Ethiopia.
鈥淚f we want to create global citizens, you really have to go, see it and be part of it,鈥 he says. 鈥淭his face-to-face, hands-on connection and sharing of knowledge creates a better understanding of each other. It鈥檚 an equitable partnership.鈥
The workshops were funded with support of the聽,聽 the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,聽the Host Parasite Interaction Network, the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Intracellular Infectious Diseases (PT-CIIDs) Initiative (Vice President Research Grant), Campus Alberta Grant for International Learning (CAGFIL) and the 草莓污视频导航 International Study Travel Grant.
Guido van Marle is an associate professor in the聽Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases; co-director of Biomedical Sciences with the聽; and a member of the聽听补苍诲听聽at the Cumming School of Medicine.