Last Week of Fogarty Orientation/Return to Charlottesville

The last week of orientation flew by in Bethesda, with more presentations, a group project, and great times hanging out with the other fellows. Our sampling of international cuisine at local Bethesda restaurants continued with visits to Mexican and Afghan restaurants. The orientation concluded with group presentations in which each group had to present a potential research project. My group presented on a potential clinical trial to investigate interventions to prevent dengue fever. The project was a bit annoying in the fact that it required us to spend some evening time preparing for the presentation, but it turned out well in the end. The last week of orientation included a number of football (soccer) matches among the fellows including an epic North America VS. South America match that was lead by our North American side until the teams were redistributed as others arrived. The last night of orientation involved having dinner with many of the other fellows one final time before we all departed for sites around the world. Indeed, while we heard many interesting presentations at the orientation, the best part of the orientation was interacting with all of the other fellows from around the US and around the world. Although orientation was two short weeks in Bethesda, it seems odd now being back in Charlottesville without the rest of the fellows with whom I had spent the last few week. I look forward to our reunion at the interview conference for the 2008-2009 class of fellows, and hope to see at least some of the fellows before then, perhaps during our vacation time.

I’ll be here in Charlottesville for further orientation specific to my project and my research site for one more week. I’m spending time in the lab of our PI, Dr. Guerrant, along with Ben (the other US Fellow going to Fortaleza), Nate (another UVA student going to Fortaleza on a Pfizer grant), and Ila and Andressa (the two Brazilian Fogarty Fellows). I’ll return to Maryland on July 30, and Ben and I will depart Philadelphia for Fortaleza on August 2. Ila and Andressa will return to Brazil 10 days later, and Nate will join us in Fortaleza later in August. In September, the Fortaleza crew will be complete with the arrival of another UVA medical student, also named Chris, another Pfizer grant recipient.

It seems odd that I now only have a week left in Charlottesville and ten days left in the United States before my departure. I still have much to do in the way of preparation and packing, but things seem to be on course for my departure.