[NIFL-HEALTH:2729] Medical Anthropologist

From: Bertha Mo (bertiemo@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri Nov 17 2000 - 14:53:26 EST


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From: Bertha Mo <bertiemo@yahoo.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:2729] Medical Anthropologist
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It is probably simpler to talk about what medical
anthropologists study than what we do, since we are
employed by broad range of groups and institutions to
do a variety of tasks.  

I did my Ph.D. in medical anthropology after I
completed an MPH in community health education because
I was interested in researhing ways to present health
information to people from non-Western or non-English
speaking backgrounds.  In short-hand,  looking at the
inter-section between culture and health. 
Anthropology quickly taught me that culture was much
more complicated and that in the health arena;  health
professionals and the lay public as well as groups
within the health professions also constitute
sub-cultures with their own languages, jargon and
rules and ways of communication etc.  

In the area of health literacy, I have designed
qualitative studies to develop, pre-test and adapt
health information using a variety of formats to the
so called target audience.

I have had a variety of positions including program
director of a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual health and
mental health promotion program in a large US city; 
teaching qualitative methods to Russian health
professionals who are trying to work on Tobacco and IV
drug control, as well as adapting environment and
health intervention studies to a variety of global
settings.

Hope this is helpful.

Bertie Mo, Ph.D., MPH
Medical Anthropologist/Health Educator
--- nifl-health@nifl.gov wrote:
> 			    NIFL-HEALTH Digest 954
> 
> Topics covered in this issue include:
> 
>   1) Re: NIFL-HEALTH digest 953
> 	by Bertha Mo <bertiemo@yahoo.com>
>   2) Book Announcement
> 	by "Helen Osborne" <Helen@healthliteracy.com>
>   3) Re: teaching techniques
> 	by Dwyoho@aol.com
>   4) Re: Medical anthropologist
> 	by Dwyoho@aol.com
> 
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 08:54:30 -0800 (PST)
> From: Bertha Mo <bertiemo@yahoo.com>
> To: nifl-health@nifl.gov,
> Subject: Re: NIFL-HEALTH digest 953
> Message-ID:
> <20001116165430.3171.qmail@web3206.mail.yahoo.com>
> 
> Dear Kristina:
> 
> I have a few comments to make about "teaching
> techniques."  
> 1.  Often we forget that teaching a parent to care
> for
> a sick child helps buld self-esteem and confidence
> in
> the parent as well as sharing the information to do
> the concrete task.  It may also help the parent to
> feel more in-control and helpful, which can only
> support the relationship between parent and child
> and
> the parent and the care givers..So the psycho-social
> aspects of learning patient care needs to be kept in
> mind.
> 2.  Time spent in effective teaching may save time
> and
> cost later...When my father was ill with both a
> stroke
> and diabetes;  our entire family was drawn into
> learning and writing the steps for various types of
> care.  My sister-in-law who is a diabetic nurse
> educator who knows no Cantonese demonstrated the
> techniques or gave us the instructions, my brother
> and
> I translated this in Cantonese for his caregiver who
> wrote very simple lists of instructions using
> drawings
> or symbols for herself...
> 
> 3.  At one time, PATH in Seattle had a program which
> specialized in visual/graphic communications for low
> literacy clients...Perhaps it is timely to identify
> a
> repository for some of resources so that it doesn't
> have to be re-done time and again. 
> 
> 4.  Should the private sector contribute funds
> towards
> the development of non-print or low literacy
> materials
> for clients...Is this an aspect of patient education
> or social marketing that they can see economic value
> in contributing towards.
> 
> Bertie Mo, Ph.D., MPH
> Medical Anthropologist
> --- nifl-health@nifl.gov wrote:
> > 			    NIFL-HEALTH Digest 953
> > 
> > Topics covered in this issue include:
> > 
> >   1) Re: TOFHLA
> > 	by "Joanne R Nurss" <alcjrn@langate.gsu.edu>
> >   2) teaching techniques
> > 	by Kristina Anderson <keander@u.washington.edu>
> > 
> >
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > 
> > Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 12:38:37 -0500
> > From: "Joanne R Nurss" <alcjrn@langate.gsu.edu>
> > To: <nifl-health@nifl.gov>
> > Subject: Re: TOFHLA
> > Message-ID: <sa1283d3.045@langate.gsu.edu>
> > 
> > Contact S. Vaughn at 404-651-1400 or
> > alcsvv@langate.gsu.edu
> > 
> > ------------------------------
> > 
> > Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 11:07:49 -0800 (PST)
> > From: Kristina Anderson <keander@u.washington.edu>
> > To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov
> > Subject: teaching techniques
> > Message-ID:
> >
>
<Pine.A41.4.21.0011151053270.222212-100000@aagaard01.u.washington.edu>
> > 
> > I had a discussion with a provider yesterday about
> > instructions to parents
> > of children with special health care needs. She
> > asked how you teach
> > parents when their child has multiple, complicated
> > conditions and they
> > have to learn about procedures, medicines,
> > machinery, and all the what
> > ifs that can accompany these factors and
> procedures.
> > 
> > Teaching time is limited, parents have low
> literacy
> > skills, are
> > emtionally, financially and physically drained. I
> > used to work with this
> > provider in a program that trains providers in
> > treating children with
> > pulmonary issues, but many of these kids/babies
> have
> > other health issues
> > on top of the pulmonary ones.
> > 
> > 
> > We talked about simplifying handouts as much as
> > possible, but many of
> > the procedures they teach don't have handouts--the
> > provider shows the
> > parent how to do the procedure. We talked about
> > videos that the parent
> > could check out from the resource center and take
> > home (if these videos
> > exist). 
> > 
> > I want to learn more about teaching in complicated
> > situations such as
> > this. I'll search on PubMed for articles, but do
> any
> > of you have specific
> > suggestions of great articles, books, etc.?
> > 
> > Thanks so much.
> > Kristina
> > 
> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> > Kristina Anderson
> > Literacy Coordinator		
> > Harborview Medical Center 	
> > 325 9th Avenue, Box 359710	
> > Seattle, WA 98104		
> > Phone (206) 731-6621 		
> > Pager (206) 994-7227
> > Fax (206) 731-2023
> > 
> > 
> > ------------------------------
> > 
> > End of NIFL-HEALTH Digest 953
> > *****************************
> 
> 
> __________________________________________________
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> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 12:47:52 -0500
> From: "Helen Osborne" <Helen@healthliteracy.com>
> To: "NIFL-Health" <NIFL-HEALTH@literacy.nifl.gov>
> Subject: Book Announcement
> Message-ID: <002301c04ff5$5ab58040$500af7a5@l1d9f0>
> 
> It is with great pleasure that I announce the
> publication of my book,
> "Overcoming Communication Barriers in Patient
> Education."
> 
> This book, published by Aspen Publishers, is about
> teaching patients who
> have poor reading skills, are older, have visual or
> hearing impairments,
> speak little or no English, or come from other
> cultures. It includes
> practical strategies you can use to increase your
> effectiveness as a health
> care educator and help you communicate with patients
> and families in ways
> they can understand.
> 
> To order, please visit the Aspen Web site at
> http://www.aspenpublishers.com
> and type in "Overcoming" as the title or "Osborne"
> as the author. You can
> also call Aspen Publishers toll-free at
> 1-800-638-8437. For information
> about volume discounts, please contact me at
> Helen@healthliteracy.com
> 
=== message truncated ===


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