Miami Student Grant Writers

Child malnutrition is a critical and persistent public health issue in Bhadrak, Odisha,
where climate change and widespread micronutrient deficiencies compound existing
vulnerabilities. Positioned along India’s eastern coast, Bhadrak is highly susceptible to natural
disasters such as cyclones, floods, and droughts. These frequent climate events devastate
farmland, disrupt local food systems, and severely limit access to nutritious food, especially for
children. Malnutrition in this region is not solely the result of food scarcity, but is also driven by
poor dietary diversity and a lack of essential micronutrients. Among the most common
deficiencies are vitamin A, which impairs vision and weakens the immune system; vitamin D,
which is essential for bone health and energy; and zinc, which supports wound healing and hair
growth. This proposal outlines a comprehensive, school-based intervention that targets child
malnutrition through personalized micronutrient supplementation, hands-on nutrition education
via school gardening, and the development of flood-resilient infrastructure to ensure long-term
impact and sustainability of school gardens.​

​

Q&A Time: 8:20-8:30am  (5:50-6:00 pm IST)

In India, human trafficking has become a major issue over time, as 40 percent of the
modern global slave population is concentrated in India (Mukesh 2018).  Trauma workers in Delhi, India, who support survivors of human trafficking face high
levels of secondary traumatic stress (STS), leading to burnout, emotional distress, and reduced
ability to support human trafficking survivors. These professionals are essential to survivor
recovery, providing emotional and psychological care as an aid to help them recover from the
severe trauma to support healing. Currently there are limited resources to support and help trauma workers manage the demands of their work. There is a critical need for better mental health
support systems to help cope with these challenges and improve the quality of care provided
(Stanley 2018). There is a need for a comprehensive support system for trauma workers so
that survivors receive the best care. 
Our focus on training workers in trauma-informed care and self-care strategies and transferring management of the intervention to those who have been trained will ensure the
long-term sustainability of this intervention.

Q&A Time: 7:35-7:45  (5:05-5:15 pm IST)

By 2030, India is expected to have the world’s largest population of patients with diabetes (Varughese et al., 2018), and in resource poor environments diabetes often leads to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).  CKD is an ongoing concern with high prevalence rate in  Uddanam, India, however lack of access to screening and treatment services often results in premature death.  We propose to pilot a mobile, pop-up clinic intervention in rural areas to provide screening for CKD and dialysis treatment. We believe the mobile solution will significantly decrease the mortality rate and improve quality of life for those living with CKD.    

Q&A Time: 7:50-8am (5:20-5:30pm IST)

Due to barriers to accessing healthcare, HPV-related cervical cancer remains a leading
cause of cancer-related death in women living in Tamil Nadu, India.  There may also be
large numbers of HPV infections that go unreported in India due to factors such as geographic
location and varying detection methods (Ramamoorthy et al., 2022). Out of all of India’s states,
Tamil Nadu has consistently had a high prevalence of HPV-related cervical cancer (Singh et al.,
2019). In a low-income area like Elambalur, a village in the Perambalur district of Tamil Nadu,
there is a lack of resources necessary for proper screening and high incidence of cervical cancer
(Sankaranarayanan et al., 2009; Varadheswari & Dandekar, 2015). This is problematic because
early screening for HPV has been shown to reduce the number of deaths from cervical cancer
(Sankaranarayanan et al., 2009).  Given that infection of HPV is responsible for approximately 100% of cervical cancers,  vaccination prevention would be the most effective solution to decreasing the rate of cervical cancer (Athanasiou et al., 2020). We propose to pilot an intervention to provide HPV vaccination for prevention combined with screening and access to any needed treatment for  cervical cancer to improve health outcomes for girls and women in Elambalur in Tamil Nadu. 

Q&A Time: 8:05-8:15 am (5:35-5:45 pm IST)