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Fellowship Site: Bangladesh
The Laboratory Sciences Division at
the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research in Bangladesh (ICDDR,B)
has state of the art laboratories specializing in Acute Respiratory Infections,
Enteric Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Genetics,
Nutritional Biochemistry, Parasitology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Tuberculosis
and Virology. The Division also has a strong service component including Clinical
Microbiology, Pathology, Molecular and Serodiagnostics, Biochemistry, and Animal
Resources. The Division has a DNA sequencer, quantitative PCR machine, ultracentrifuge,
FACS, gene microarray reader and other relevant equipment for different research
purposes. Every unit of the Laboratory Sciences Division has skilled scientific
staff who can act as mentors for foreign trainees. ICDDR,B provides facilities
for training to Bangladeshi and other nationals in collaboration with national
and international institutions. Since 2005, the Centre has been working in partnership
with the James Grant School of Pubic Health under BRAC University to provide training
support for graduate level training programs leading to a degree of Master of
Public Health (MPH). ICDDR,B also provides faculty for the international MPH courses
offered by the James P. Grant School of Public Health. The Centre also
organizes 6-12 month training programs accredited by the Bangladesh College of
Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) and Dhaka University for memberships/fellowships
in Medicine, Pediatrics, and Histopathology; and a Diploma in Child Health. In
order to support the growth of the health and allied professions over the last
five decades, ICDDR,B has expanded its programs to encompass a full spectrum of
public health issues such as child health, reproductive health, nutrition, poverty
and health, infectious diseases and vaccine sciences, population sciences, health
systems research, HIV-AIDS and safe water. The ICDDR,B cares for over 100,000
patients per year, mainly with diarrhoeal and respiratory illnesses. The vast
majority of these patients are treated in an ambulatory setting for under 24 hours
and then sent home, while the sickest of patients are admitted to inpatient facilities,
including a special care unit as needed. The U.S. medical student trainee
will spend a portion of their time (approximately 10%) observing the care of patients
with diseases less common in the United States, under the mentorship of senior
physicians at the Centre. This will consist of morning conferences relevant to
patient care problems, as well as once weekly rounds on patients being seen by
the care team. These activities are quite relevant for the medical students as
the majority of their research projects are patient-based and require interactions
with patients, such as obtaining informed consent in the clinical care areas of
the Centre. A large fraction of the Centre's funding comes from projects
that are written by Centre scientists with international and national funding.
Most of these projects have with strong collaborations with scientists in the
USA, Sweden, Australia and Japan, as well as Bangladesh. Thus, we have a continuous
stream of new projects regularly being initiated. NIH-funded clinical research
at the ICDDR,B available for FICRS Scholars includes the following projects: - Immune
responses following Vibrio cholerae infection and vaccination, including development
of B cell, T cell, and mucosal memory
- The role of host immunity, host
genetics, and other host factors on protection against V. cholerae disease in
exposed household contacts
- Application of new high-throughput genomic,
proteomic, and immunological approaches to cholera immunity and vaccination
Housing
Availability:
As part of our International Collaborations in Infectious
Disease Research (ICIDR) grant and other training programs, we have leased a three-bedroom
apartment for our visiting trainees in Dhaka, in the Gulshan area. This is a safe
area in the vicinity of the expatriate communities in Dhaka. The apartment is
provided with high-speed internet, cable TV, and air conditioning. One to three
trainees share the apartment at any given time. We have arranged transportation
to and from this apartment to the Centre, which is approximately 20 minutes away
by car. We have used this apartment for the past three years and have found it
a very effective way to provide housing for our trainees that is safe, accessible,
and at reasonable cost. The cost of the entire apartment, including utilities,
the internet, cable TV, air conditioning, and transportation to and from the Centre
is approximately $750-800 U.S. per month, shared among the occupants. Immunizations
Needed for this Site:
See the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Web site and The
Yellow Book: Health Information for International Travel. The FICRS
program mandates that all Scholars see a physician prior to their assignment abroad.
Safety and Danger Issues:
As with any major urban area, safety
is a major consideration for our trainees living in Bangladesh. The location of
our apartment and the transportation we have provided for our trainees has greatly
mitigated any major concerns. The apartment is in close proximity to the American
Embassy and the American Club, in case any emergency evacuation were necessary.
We introduce the trainee on arrival to Dr. Stephen Luby, the CDC person on secundment
to the Centre, who also acts as liaison to the American Embassy. Also at the Centre
is Dr. Abdullah Brooks from Johns Hopkins University, who acts as the physician
in charge of medical evacuation to Bangkok or Singapore, if that were medically
necessary; we also introduce the trainee to Dr. Brooks in case any medical care
is needed. Trainees also have access to ICDDR,B health facilities as well as other
international health services in Bangladesh. See the U.S.
State Department Web site for additional information. Language Requirements
Other than English:
All work at the ICDDRB, including seminars, courses,
and standard day-to-day operations, are conducted in English. It is certainly
desirable for our trainees to master some Bangla for interaction with patients
that they may see in the outpatient facility or in their social activities. It
is very easy to obtain Bangla language classes at low cost in the evenings. All
students are accompanied by ICCDR,B staff during all patient interactions to facilitate
communication and education. What is it like to live in Bangladesh?
Dhaka is a very large city lacking much of the infrastructure expected of
similar sized cities in the west. The ICDDR,B is located in a congested commercial
area, a couple of miles south of the main expatriate residential areas in Gulshan
and Baridhara. In the Gulshan and Baridhara areas, there are numerous restaurants
and clubs offering sports facilities with temporary memberships for visitors.
Travel and accommodation in the country of Bangladesh outside Dhaka is basic.
Bangladesh can provide a base for visiting other South and Southeast Asian countries.
FICRS Scholars should apply for a multiple entry visa to Bangladesh of at least
one year duration. |
