Work Update

I do plan to finish the chronicle of my Amazon vacation from last month, but wanted to post a brief update on my research. We are preparing to begin the data analysis for the physical fitness study that I focused much of my time on for the first 3 months in Fortaleza. As soon as the database is created with our data, we'll begin the process of analyzing the data looking for correlations between historical data and our new data.

On another front, I have encountered some challenges in getting my study of visual function started. I continue to await approval from the ethics committee. Since my study involves a US principal investigator, I will have to resubmit the protocol to a review board in Brasilia, rather than simply the local review board. I also continue to work on the protocol for this study in English for the UVA review board. I hope to resolve these issues and begin work on this study in January.

Finally, things are picking up with my work in the laboratory. Along with Ila and Andressa, the Brasilian Fogarty Fellows, I have the task of getting PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests for three organisms (Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Enteroaggregative Escherichia Coli) up and running for a large ongoing study. After months of waiting for necessary supplies, we now have most (but still not all) of the supplies we need, and I believe that we now have the Cryptosporidium assay up and running, and hope that the other two will be functioning after another week of work.

And so despite some frustrations, I'm optimistic that research is moving along well. Over the next few weeks before the Christmas break, I'll be working on all three of the above studies, and hopefully improving my Portuguese further, and continuing to enjoy Fortaleza.