Des Moines University (DMU) students and faculty presented posters at the 2017 Heartland Global Health Consortium conference held at Drake University on Oct. 13. A group of 10 Iowa colleges and universities co-hosted the day-long series of talks on topics related to the conference’s theme: “Healthy Water, Healthy World: Water Sustainability for Global Health.”
Representing DMU were Fiona Hodges, D.O.’20, Brooke Bachelor, D.O.’19, Tricia Mittra, D.O.’19, and Rebecca Shaw, M.D., chair of specialty medicine, who presented their poster, “Zika Virus Knowledge, Education, and Contraceptive Use Among Rural Dominican Republic Communities.” Other contributors to this research are Shant Adamian, D.O.’19, Sarah Andres, D.O.’19, Elizabeth Baker, Ph.D., assistant professor of public health, and Chunfa Jie, Ph.D., biostatistician in biochemistry and nutrition.
Simon Geletta, Ph.D., professor of public health, presented the poster “Food Insecurity in Iowa” on behalf of himself and presenting author Christine Jackson, D.O.’20.
Ahren Reitsma and Ryan McClure, APEX students at Waukee (IA) High School, presented a poster that was the winner in the conference’s Undergraduate Literature Review/Experience category. They worked on the poster, “Investigating Pediatric Bone and Joint Cancer in Iowa through a Collaboration of Waukee APEX and Des Moines University,” with their DMU faculty mentor, Elitsa Ananieva, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and nutrition.
The Heartland Global Health Consortium is a group of Iowa colleges and universities that have come together around a common interest of international health. Members include Central College, Des Moines University, Drake University, Grinnell College, Iowa State University, Mercy College of Health Sciences, Simpson College, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.
