Jo Henderson-Frost

Jo is a 4th year medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She spent the last year in Peru and Bolivia studying Chagas cardiomyopathy. Her research focuses on plasma and immunological biomarkers and patient attitudes and knowledge of cardiac disease. She first became interested in tropical medicine in college as an Environmental Science and Public Policy concentrator when she wrote her thesis on ETEC in sewage water in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In medical school, she has become more interested in the patient aspects of public health. At Einstein she has been a patient advocate, leader of community HIV-testing organization, and enjoys teaching sex ed classes Bronx schools. She is applying to Internal Medicine and Primary Care residency programs. She grew up in rural New Hampshire where she became outdoorsy at a young age; her favorite outdoor activities are ice climbing, backcountry skiing and hiking. 

Project: "Attitudes towards chagasic cardiac disease and pacemaker implementation among indigenous communities in the Bolivian Chaco"
January 20, 2016 - May 20, 2016
Bolivia

 

What does the Kean Fellowship mean to you?

Jo was very grateful to receive the Kean Fellowship; she notes that is an honor, and she looks forward to meeting many of the society's members in Philadelphia this fall and staying connected through the years as she begins her training. She is hoping this will be one of many formative experiences in the world of parasitology research and tropical medicine.

What do you anticipate learning? 

Jo anticipates that this fellowship will allow her to gain the necessary analytical skills to being to pursue a career in clinical research. She is most excited about the opportunity to collaborate with researchers from other countries and to put clinical problems into the public health presepctive.

What interests you about tropical medicine and what problems are you interested in solving?

Within tropical medicine, Jo is interested in an interdisciplinary career in the intersection of clinical research, patient care, and public health. She can imagine a career working domestically on immigrant health issues, or abroad on healthcare delivery and tropical medicine research.