Global Health Institute

Dr. Cesar Vitoria, a researcher who studies maternal and child health and nutrition, was the keynote speaker. He provided us with a window into his life’s work, studying various cohorts in Pelotas, Brazil. For someone who has devoted himself to research, his presentation did not focus on the nitty-gritty details but rather on the idea that science is for everyone. 

During his presentation, he projected seemingly simplistic and easy-to-read figures that summarized his key findings. These figures were not the product of one particular study but were the culmination of many research questions, grants, fieldwork, and analysis. He emphasized the importance of creating these “cartoons” to make graphical information easily dispensable. 

This made me think that science actually needs everyone. If findings are not easily understood, they cannot be shared, and so nothing can come of our results. Other individuals mediate the distribution of these results, so that they can have far-reaching effects.

For instance, Dr. Vitoria and his team’s work found breastfeeding to reduce the incidence of some infectious diseases while also stimulating cognitive development and healthy weight gain. The interplay of many groups and agencies then helped revise people’s perception of breastfeeding in low-income and middle-income countries. What was once cast aside as a practice for only the poorest is now regarded as a common practice for all mothers. 

Though I arrived at the conference focused solely on science, I realized that science is only another player in the field of global health. It is only part of the solution. 

Through the work of countless individuals, what was once an evidence-based conclusion can become intuitive.

Brigitte Anderson (C’18) is an undergraduate studying biology of global health at Georgetown.