Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative

 

Research & Programsstudy abroad botswana

HIV in Africa
A Unique Semester Abroad:
Scientific Inquiry and Cultural Immersion

Amy Wu
Dear Professor Essex,

This Thursday I will be graduating from Harvard College, and I wanted to thank you sincerely for providing me with the most important academic and life experience I have had my four years here. Participating in the Botswana program absolutely convinced me of pursuing a career in international development—the program not only gave me an enriching research experience, but also allowed me to see first-hand the complex effects of global health and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sincerely,
Amy Wu,
Class of 2009

Botswana is a country severely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, having one of the world’s highest prevalence rates of HIV in the general population. Since 1996, the government of the Republic of Botswana and the Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative have been collaborating on innovative research and training in the area where the epidemic is the most rampant. The Botswana–Harvard AIDS Institue Partnership (BHP) is a state of the art biomedical, research, and training laboratory located on the grounds of Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.

Lab photo
BHP Viral Load Lab

Harvard College, in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative, the Harvard Initiative for Global Health (HIGH), and the Council on International Education (CIEE), is offering an exceptional study abroad program in Botswana. In the Spring of 2010, the fourth cohort of Harvard undergraduate students will be placed with scientific mentors in BHP laboratories to work on exciting research projects that include, but are not limited to, areas such as: the evolution of HIV-1C; prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1C; virologic and immunologic markers in acute HIV-1C infection; genetics of resistance to HIV-1C; mechanisms of HIV-1C transmission; HIV-1C co-receptor utilization and cell attachment; expression of genes related to innate immune response; correlation with HIV-1C-associated HLA polymorphisms; drug resistance patterns for HIV-1C; differences in HIV-1C long terminal repeat (LTR) associated with viral activation; interactions between HIV-1C and genital herpes simplex virus (HSV); and effects of HIV-1C on hematopoiesis.

lisa and the lion
Lisa Flannery inspects a sedated lion on an
excursion in the Kalahari Desert

In addition to the unique laboratory experience, students will be enrolled part time at the University of Botswana, taking elective courses and a customized language course in Setswana. Students will also participate in a CIEE experiential language and culture practicum. The structure of this tailored interdisciplinary program, along with a host of field excursions, will ensure that students gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities behind HIV research, prevention and treatment in Africa.

 

 

Program Base

Gaborone, Botswana

Credits

16 units (one full-time Harvard semester)

Coursework

• Supervised research at BHP
• 1-2 elective courses at the University of Botswana
• 1 course in Setswana language study at the University of Bostwana
• An experiential language and culture practicum with CIEE
Note: Students must aplly for credit on the OIP website.

Faculty Director

Max Essex, DVM, PhD, Mary Woodard Lasker Professor of Health Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health

Housing

Graduate Student Apartments at the University of Botswana

Field Excursions

Rural clinics, Gaborone Game Reserve, the National Museum, the Koloberg ruins, the Jwaneng diamond mine, the Kalahari desert, and the Okavango River Delta

Pre-departure

Selected students will be required to participate in one-day lab safety session and 25 hours of research training at HSPH.

Eligibility

Harvard College sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are in good standing are eligible to apply. Successful applicants invited to participate in the program will have demonstrated academic, professional, and personal interest in the sciences, and more specifically, in HIV and AIDS. Prior lab experience is strongly preferred.

Application Procedure

Students should submit the following to Lendsey Melton (see below) by Ocotober 1, 2009
• One-page essay on your interest in HIV/AIDS research and objectives for participating in the Botswana Study Abroad Program. Please included your name, class year, Harvard ID number and concentration.
• Academic transcripts from Harvard and resume
• Letter of Recommendation (preferable from someone who has previously directed you in your lab research)

 

 

Application materials and general program inquiries should be directed to: Eva Diaz, Associate Director, Office of International Programs, 77 Dunster St., 617/384-7893, eva_diaz@harvard.edu. Notifications will be sent out by October 18, 2009. Tentative program dates are January 6, 2010 to May 14, 2010. Upon acceptance to the program, students will be required to complete a CIEE application. Funding for this program was made available by the Harvard Initiative for Global Health (HIGH).


Questions about the program should be directed to:

Rebekah Getman
(Application Materials and Curriculum/Course Inquiries)
Program Manager
Harvard Initiative for Global Health
104 Mt. Auburn St, 3rd Floor
Office 617/495-4866
Email: rebekah_getman@harvard.edu

Ann Georgi
(Curriculum/Course Inquiries)
Undergraduate Research Adviser
Life Sciences Division
Co-Master of Leverett House
Office 617/495-9533
Email: ageorgi@fas.harvard.edu

Lendsey Melton
(Research Project-related Inquiries)
Harvard School of Public Health
Dept of Immunology and Infectious Diseases
FXB 402 651 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Office 617/432-0975
Email: lmelton@hsph.harvard.edu

 

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