Fall/Winter 2010  

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Washington University in
St. Louis

Department of Anthropology

Arts & Sciences

College of Arts & Sciences

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

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Anthropology and Global Health
by Alena Groopman, AB 2005

alena
Alena Groopman during her travels in China

As the global health coordinator at the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, I have worked on the conception and development of the Asia and Pacific Alliance to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis (APAVH). This sustainable regional coalition of public and private partners seeks to eliminate the transmission of viral hepatitis infections and reduce the complications of chronic viral hepatitis by identifying and addressing the gaps and sharing best practices through advocacy, collaboration, and education. APAVH’s work has taken me to China, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, where I am working on country-specific hepatitis B and liver cancer education and awareness projects with local governments and communities.

In Shandong Province, China, we are working with the Provincial Health Department to develop an innovative online training and education program for health care workers, physicians, and nurses throughout the province about the impact of hepatitis B and liver cancer in China, modes of transmission, and effective means for prevention of hepatitis B and liver cancer. We are also working on an educational animation for the general public.

We recently were invited by the World Health Organization (WHO) to conduct a site visit to Lao PDR in February 2010 and developed recommendations for the Ministry of Health and Expanded Program on Immunization for new educational materials and awareness campaigns. We are continuing to partner with the Ministry of Health to develop immunization posters and postcards.

In April 2010, APAVH held its second partners’ meeting in Hong Kong: “Asia and Viral Hepatitis: Learning from China to Enhance Prevention and Control Efforts in Asia," which brought together experts from WHO, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and China. Throughout the course of the meeting, many examples demonstrated the effectiveness of China’s current policies and practices, which would allow China to serve as a model for the rest of the Western Pacific region. While great progress has been made, the meeting discussion centered on work that can still be done to address the remaining gaps and challenges toward elimination of new transmission of viral hepatitis and liver cancer. 

Throughout my everyday work, long-term projects, and country site visits, I utilize the skills I gained in both my medical anthropology education from Washington University (AB, 2005) and public health education from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Master of Health Sciences, 2006). My anthropology background laid the foundation for my professional success, especially when working internationally. Hepatitis B causes a great deal of stigma and discrimination around the world. As an American-born Caucasian without Asian language skills, I have to be respectful and aware of these preconceived notions about the disease and think of creative ways to educate people about the virus and subsequent liver cancer to dispel these common misconceptions.