IUBAT nursing supporting research

Recently Professor John Richards of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada  and his graduate student Ms Afifa Shahrin completed a study of nutritional status of women from  low-income households in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh. John is a founding director of the Bangladesh Health Project and  also a member of IUBAT’s overseas advisory committee. Ms.Shahrin, a former instructor in BRAC University and recent graduate of SFU, engaged IUBAT College of Nursing students for some of the surveying. See  http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=5&date=2012-08-31 for more on this. IUBAT has taken a pioneering role in the country’s higher education sector by supporting researchers, practitioners, and academics to undertake  practical research on the policy problems facing Bangladesh (http://www.iubat.edu/cpr/). Several students and faculty from Canadian and US universities have completed research studies through IUBAT, providing College of Nursing students with an excellent exposure to research methods and academic expectations.

Learning global health theory in context

Jen Preston travelled to IUBAT with her husband and daughter in early 2012 to complete her final year practicum for a BSN through Selkirk College/ University of Victoria. She writes, “It is incredible that so many topics I looked into here have tied together: food security, gender issues, breastfeeding, culture, politics and economics. This has been an excellent learning experience. I am finding that while we focus on one seemingly small assignment, endless questions surround each issue. The time that we are here seems to speed up as if we are going to run out of time and not be able to research everything that we observe. I have started to make a list of everything I am interested in, so after this practicum I can continue to explore these issues.”

IUBAT students as nursing leaders

Visiting faculty member Susan McNeill of Vancouver Community College Nursing Department writes: “Today I checked in on our practicum and internship students at ICDDR,B and left feeling proud and inspired. They are taking on leadership roles and tactfully modelling quality care with compassion. Shahed Chowdhury (BSN 2012, wearing blue in this photo) is a teaching assistant at IUBAT who is dedicated to staying in Bangladesh and changing the perception and quality of nursing. Although the number of grads may be small, they have the potential to ‘punch above their weight’ and make a real difference.”