Major
Microbiology
Faculty Advisor
Jonathan Hill
Abstract
Due to the ever increasing connectedness of our world, disease can spread faster than ever before. Therefore global health care is a pressing issue in the modern world. The Ebola epidemic of 2014, which infected an unprecedented number of people, was reminder of not only of human fragility but of the state modern medicine, especially when deployed in economically developing areas. Not only is medicine about the science and treatment of disease, it also is about economics and the ability to pay for treatment. This can manifest in many forms, for the Ebola epidemic there often were not enough equipment and supplies to properly treat those infected, especially in rural areas. For HIV positive persons, the chronic nature of their disease and the high cost of treatment often leave them, with impossible choices about survival. In developed countries economics also play a role in determining treatment. Lack of potential profits is the economic pressure that drives pharmaceutical companies away from exploring new drugs. Doctor’s attempt to see as many patients as possible for the sake of efficiency but this only leads to unnecessary treatments and tests. By using cross-disciplinary analysis to address these problems, more novel and effective solutions may be found, and that means a healthier world.
Comments
Thanks to Dr. Hill for his support and also his course on Contemporary Human Problems which helped form the basis for this project.