Throughout her career, Dr. Destiny Ramjohn has been awarded with multiple grants to help her pursue research, analysis, and create solutions to pressing medical issues. One of the most notable grants that Dr. Destiny Ramjohn received was from IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health, which allowed Destiny Ramjohn the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in three rural villages in Chennai, India.
“We have to remember that there’s an international framework to medicine and that health is a concern of every human being,” says Dr. Destiny Ramjohn. While in Chennai, India, Destiny Ramjohn had the opportunity to evaluate the Community Health Worker program and examine gender inequalities. During her time abroad, Dr. Destiny Ramjohn applied Rogers’ (1963) diffusion of innovations theory to the community’s health program. She hosted weekly trainings to boost morale for the staff and improve ethical guidelines and scientific procedures.
“There’s been a change in the way that the medical community has functioned in recent years,” acknowledges Dr. Destiny Ramjohn. “Previously, medical professionals would simply go abroad to try to provide care. Now, we’re trying to develop their own internal capacity and capability to train medical leaders, scientists, and clinicians.”
During the interview, we asked Dr. Destiny Ramjohn why she believes that global health matters. She told us that global health is important because of:
“We have to remember that there’s an international framework to medicine and that health is a concern of every human being,” says Dr. Destiny Ramjohn. While in Chennai, India, Destiny Ramjohn had the opportunity to evaluate the Community Health Worker program and examine gender inequalities. During her time abroad, Dr. Destiny Ramjohn applied Rogers’ (1963) diffusion of innovations theory to the community’s health program. She hosted weekly trainings to boost morale for the staff and improve ethical guidelines and scientific procedures.
“There’s been a change in the way that the medical community has functioned in recent years,” acknowledges Dr. Destiny Ramjohn. “Previously, medical professionals would simply go abroad to try to provide care. Now, we’re trying to develop their own internal capacity and capability to train medical leaders, scientists, and clinicians.”
During the interview, we asked Dr. Destiny Ramjohn why she believes that global health matters. She told us that global health is important because of:
- Humanitarian reasons. “When you consider that an estimated 15 million children have been orphaned from AIDS, you understand that there’s a need to avert these global circumstances,” says Destiny Ramjohn.
- Direct impact. As our world is more connected, Destiny Ramjohn acknowledges that it’s easier for diseases to spread.
- Equity. Improving health globally will also help bring healthcare costs down, says Destiny Ramjohn. Ninety percent of costs are spent on 10 percent of the global population.
