The Addiction Training for Health Professionals (ATHP) Research Institute meeting continues to focus on the presentation of research proposals by the Addiction Concentration Trainees enrolled at Public Health U (PHU).
Dr. Valeria Reynolds introduced the team to the idea of having residents present their proposals in poster format. This proposal was met with agreement from the cohort as this method will be helpful to students in honing their skills to present a topic succinctly. It will improve their summarizing skills, not only for presentations but also in creating abstracts and other uses for journal submissions later in their careers.
Dr. Budi Darmawan is refining his study’s proposal by studying the role of the family in healing from drug abuse in the rehabilitation house of the National Narcotics Agency in Indonesia. He also contemplates comparing these findings with drug rehabilitation in traditional Islamic boarding schools.
Dr. Sulaiman Mansaray has also been refining his study and literature review. He has narrowed his topic to investigating Hepatitis B and D in South Africa. He has been able to contact the local hospital’s research manager to track patients’ progress after their diagnosis. While there are numerous sources on this topic related to mental health issues in U.S. literature, there are limited sources for Africa, hence he will be conducting his research in this area, focusing on Sierra Leone. Drs. Frank and Bianco provided much feedback to Dr. Mansaray that he has found stimulating and will consider. Dr. Frank raised the topic of exploring IV use for patients with Hepatitis, while Dr. Bianco enquired about the types of mental issues or programs in the area. Dr. Mansaray noted the widespread stigmatization associated with Hepatitis in the country, which leads to self-isolation. There is much consideration to find ways to intervene and create change based on the stigma associated with Hepatitis. Felix Emeka Anyiam and Dr. Rick Altese both focus on infectious diseases in their work and will be able to assist Dr. Mansary further with his research project.
Dr. Korbe Alfred presented his research proposal on “Prevalence of SUDs and Associated Factors Among People attending ART Clinics in Juba City.”
As the meetings continue, residents continuously refine and progress with their research topics. The constructive feedback our experts and researchers provided has been instrumental in their progress and is a beautiful demonstration of the impact of collaboration among the addiction and mental health cohort.
Samantha Baboolal
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