Harmonizing Horizons: Meng's Next Chapter in Global Health Innovation
Meng Sun
2nd Year, Health Management Health Policy Candidate
Hey there! My name is Meng (Naomi) Sun. I am thrilled to share my experience in Grenada which will undoubtedly add significant value into my career in Global Public Health. Our team collaborates with the Ministry of Social Development, Housing, and Gender Affairs through the Dementia and Alzheimer’s Training Program . I'm in my second year of pursuing an MPH degree, focusing on Health Management and Policy.
It's hard to believe that the Grenada field experience ended a week ago; it was an unforgettable time spent on the island working with the ministry on a training program development project for Alzheimer's and dementia. We spent seven days on Grenada Island — well, most of us did. During the six days I was there, we took an island tour, visited a chocolate factory, savored the local cuisine, and each morning I felt refreshed and empowered to explore new aspects of this nation.
Surprisingly, this nation has rich relationships with mainland China, evidenced by the national business center and stadium working in collaboration with a contractor from Shanghai, China. Seeing many pieces of equipment with signs from Chinese factories was very warming and amazing for me, as a Chinese woman working on public health improvement in Grenada.
Aside from the heartwarming exploration, the majority of our time was spent collecting data by interviewing 19 people from various positions related to Alzheimer's and dementia diseases. From caregivers and elder house administrators to physicians and startup business CEOs, we observed a common issue: the lack of a professional training program across all focus groups. Of course, each person had their own perspective on how this training program could be improved, which gave us the responsibility to not ignore any of the themes that emerged from these discussions but also to provide sustainable recommendations to our permanent secretary from the Ministry of Grenada.
Our work continues. The Alzheimer's and dementia team will conduct an organizational report, which will be an in-depth showcase of the presentation we gave on the last day in Grenada. We aim to rescan and ensure that people's needs are considered and included in our recommendations. It's also a great opportunity to get involved with program/policy implementation and innovation with the ministry in Grenada. It was encouraging to hear from one of the social workers at the ministry, who said, "There’s a policy related to Alzheimer's and dementia being published this quarter, and several are in progress as well." This provides us with confidence to look forward to seeing our recommendations contribute to implementation efforts in Grenada over the next five years.
My global public health journey has added another milestone in a Caribbean country, which fills me with pride and happiness. I've observed firsthand not only the needs related to the projects I've worked on but also the general desire for public health improvements among the local population. Looking into their eyes and seeing their precious smiles, you can tell how pure the country is. My passion for global health continues to beat strongly, and I'm eager to see what comes next.