Paul Sirma ’15 interned with the Ifakara Health Institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
51·çÁ÷ students are participating in internships in a variety of fields and locations this summer. This post is by Paul Sirma ‘15, a major from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania who is interning with .
This summer, I interned with Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), an independent, non-profit organization that conducts a wide range of health-related research in Tanzania. I first started to develop an interest in public health during my first year at 51·çÁ÷ in my scientific perspectives class, CORE AIDS, taught by . I was fascinated by how little I knew about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in my home city, Dar es Salaam.
At IHI, I was put under the supervision of a health economist, and I assisted him in his daily work. I was responsible for preparing Comprehensive Council Health Plan (CCHP) reports to be used in cost and benefit analyses. My supervisor also helped me learn useful data-editing techniques and I edited surveys and questionnaires using the statistical analysis program, STATA.
I was also allowed to conduct my own independent research project. Although I did not have enough time to complete the full project, I successfully designed a research question, and ran my multivariate model. I was able to design and partially implement a study on the effectiveness of knowledge and awareness about HIV through increasing condom use among rural Tanzanian women of the reproductive age, using data from surveys conducted by IHI.
I also interned at IHI last summer when I was sent to supervise ongoing research in one of the villages in Tanzania. I spent most of my time in the field during that internship. When I e-mailed my former supervisor and expressed my desire to return to IHI this summer, he accepted me immediately.
This summer, I believe I discovered my passion for conducting research and I can see myself working for an organization like IHI in the future. I’m motivated by the commitment the organization has for improving the wellbeing of Tanzanians.
Whether or not I will be involved with health economics or development economics in the future I am not sure. However, I know without a doubt that my passion will be in the research component of whatever work I will be doing.