Dell Med Student Tests Health Care Strategies In Peru
- Oct 19, 2023
In 2022, Dell Medical student Alexander Chu took part in an international study with nonprofit organization Socios en Salud (Partners in Health) on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. The study focused on comprehensive mental health care for depression and multidrug resistant tuberculosis treatment.
With the help of partners, Socios en Salud utilizes community-centered solutions to provide wider access to treatment for tuberculosis and overall health care.
Since 2017, Chu has been mentored by Megan Murray, an infectious disease epidemiologist and director of research, global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School. Murray has led large-scale epidemiologic studies with partners at Socios en Salud in Lima.
“Tuberculosis is highly prevalent in most low- and middle-income countries in the world,” says Murray. “I don’t really expect it to be eradicated in my lifetime, but if we advance the field of tuberculosis research in any of these places, that work can affect how the disease is managed elsewhere.”
Looking ahead to a career in global health, Chu notes that community-rooted strategies — centered on patients and creating equitable, long-term partnerships with local leaders and health systems — are some of the most powerful methods for transforming and strengthening health systems and improving access to care, particularly for people with low incomes and members of marginalized populations.
Read more about their ongoing international research efforts on the Dell Medical School website.
