Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS): South Africa - Global Health Issues in South Africa Summer Program

Global health is a relatively new multidisciplinary field that investigates the influence of economics, politics, and culture on health within and across national borders. Students in this program explore such topics as infectious disease and its social context; the impact of international economic and social policies on health disparities and inequities; and the ways in which local belief systems affect the health of a community. As a participant in this summer program offered by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), you will gain broad experience in global health. You will learn to use some of the tools of global health—sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, and environmental science—to interpret traditional medicine and culture, which you will have the chance to observe firsthand. South Africa’s multifaceted society and economy make the country an ideal place to compare and contrast public health issues in deeply rural, peri-urban, and urban communities. South Africa’s high incidence of HIV and AIDS and the government’s controversial response create an especially meaningful context for the program’s segment on the ethics of managing and treating the epidemic. You will also learn how medical science has improved the treatment of people suffering from AIDS and such other chronic diseases as tuberculosis and malaria. Seeing how South African society deals with its most pressing medical challenges will equip you with a deeper understanding of what such challenges might mean for societies elsewhere.