In July 2024, two Master of Public Health students, one from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and one from the University of New Haven (Connecticut), visited Nigeria to undertake a two-week Global Field Experience through UMSON’s Office of Global Health.
As part of The BRAVE Project — Building Resilience and AIDS Care Through Mental Health Valor and Empowerment — supported by a University of Maryland, Baltimore President’s Global Impact Fund grant, Charlotte Nwogwugwu, DrPH, BSN, RN, HIV PCP, CPH-BC, assistant professor and director, Office of Global Health and Global Health Certificate; involved the students in various site visits, collecting data at HIV clinics in Nigeria’s Imo State, during the first week. In week two, the students participated in a residential workshop in Owerri, serving as facilitators for a five-day intensive training on mental health. The BRAVE Project aims to integrate mental health services in HIV care by building the capacity of doctors, nurses, and community health extension workers in clinics to assess, diagnose, treat, and refer patients presenting with mental health conditions. It also involves collaborations with local strategic partners involved in ending the HIV epidemic.
