UVAINTHE 2021-2022IMPACTREPORT OFFICEOFTHEVICEPROVOSTFORGLOBALAFFAIRS
EnablesPathBreakingGlobalResearch
NatashaFoutz’sproject,
“TheBorderisHere:Experiencesof AsylumSeeker’s‘LastLeg’Traveland ArrivalHomeintheUnitedStates,” hasidenti
edstudents,developed relationshipsonthegroundinborder communities,andbeguntraining students.Speci
cally,threeSpanishspeakingundergraduatestudentshave beenidenti
anddatacollection.Theyhave receivedandwillcontinuetoreceive trainingonimmigrationpolicyandthe nutsandboltsoftrauma-informed
NewGlobalHealthEquityProfessorAward
A new Global Health Equity professorship program awarded to three UVA professors will bolster research on topics including the toxicity of electronic waste, the alarming trend of rural hospital closures, and the experiences of asylum seekers arriving in Charlottesville. KathrynLaughon(SchoolofNursing),NatashaFoutz(McIntireSchoolofCommerce),andKwameOtu(Carter G.WoodsonInstituteforAfricanAmericanandAfricanStudies)aretherecipientsoftheCenterforGlobal HealthEquity’sinauguralRichardandNancyGuerrantGlobalHealthEquityProfessorships.Theyhavestarted theirresearchinearly2022andwillhavesupportforthenextthreeyears.“TheGuerrantGlobalHealthEquity Awardcatalyzes aculty’sengagementwithglobalhealthequityissuesininnovativenewways,”saidRebecca Dillingham,DirectoroftheCenterforGlobalHealthEquity.“Thisalsocreatespathwaystolearnfromandwith theseincredible acultymembersandtheircommunitypartners.” The rstcohorto theRichardandNancyGuerrantGlobalHealthEquityProessorAwardeeshavebeenbusywith theirprojectsandengagingwithcommunities,partners,andstudents. HEREARETHEUPDATES: KathrynLaughon’sproject,
edtoassistwithrecruiting
qualitativeinterviewing.Dr.Laughon hascollaboratedwithserviceproviders inbordercities—mainlyBrownsville, Texas—toensurethattheteamcan identifyandrecruitasylumseekers ecientlyandwithoutdisruptionto theworkoflocalserviceproviders.The researchteamisscheduledtotravelin lateJunetobeginrecruitment.
“ImpactofRuralHospitalClosureon HealthEquity:InsightsfromLocation BigData”hasbeenbusyidentiyingthe hospitalsandpatientsthatwillform thedatasample,andsheisnearing completionofthepre-processingof theterrabytesizedlocationdata.This summer’splanincludesconstructing matchingsamples(treatedandcontrol groups)andrunningsummarystatistics andmodel-freeevidencetobeginto analyzethedata. KwameOtu wasabletoreturntoAccra, Ghana,thedesignatedlocationofhis visualethnographicproject,Scenes ofToxicity,toengagewiththee-waste workersattheworld’slargeste-waste dumpinAgbogbloshie.Thevisit providedanopportunitytoelicitfrom thee-wasteworkers’theirexperiences withCOVID-19,andtheimpactsthat thepandemichadontheirmaterial circumstancesandlivesingeneral. NEWLAUNCHES/INITIATIVES Allthreeprojectsprovideexciting opportunitiesforstudentstoengagein globalhealthequityresearchandprovide meaningfulopportunitiestoconnectin persononceagainwithpartners. ThenextroundofproposalsisdueinSeptember2022. LEARNMOREABOUTTHE GUERRANTGLOBALHEALTH EQUITYPROFESSORAWARD 2021-2022ANNUALIMPACTREPORT 25
