Lauren McCabe and HAPSA Nepal

Written by: Mia Cooper

One of the best parts of being based in Providence is talking with the incredible individuals who have done impactful work improving healthcare here! This week, we had an interesting interview with Lauren McCabe, an MPH student at Brown University who worked closely with Dr. Kharel, ​​an assistant professor in Emergency at Brown. Lauren is studying Global Health Epidemiology and has an interest in global emergency medicine. She spent time in Nepal this past summer working with HAPSA Nepal. We talked about not only what she learned working for HAPSA but also the importance of cultural competency when studying and working in global health. 

Lauren McCabe (far left) at the hospital she worked at this passed summer in Kathmandu, Nepal

Lauren's work consisted of both working in the community and collaborating with local hospitals to create a registry for cardiac arrest demographics, locations, and other general information to better understand the gaps in care in Nepal. She expressed the profound impact that working with the community had on her perception of public health work in her belief in community-oriented care. As a public health student and trained EMT, Lauren was able to train Community Health Workers in CPR, choking prevention and basic life support. Her work was important in helping first responders better serve their communities and provide disaster relief.

Lauren shared how interesting it was to see how first responder training differed cross-culturally and reflected on the importance of taking the community into consideration when tailoring training to their needs. Her main reflection from her experience doing this work was the importance of community-centered and patient-focused public health interventions and work. She shared, “I learned it's incredibly important to include members of the community in the training and program creation. When I got to Nepal, my perception was radically different than the reality.” 

Lauren also reflected on the efficacy of international aid programs.

“Oftentimes, a lot of aid programs do not factor in the culture and life of the individuals you are helping,” she shared, “Every culture is so different. It's easy for things to get lost in translation, and it's important to consider that when designing programs or training.” At Wheelhouse, we understand the importance of taking into consideration individuals' cultural differences. A large portion of the individuals we have worked with were from outside the US healthcare system. Sometimes important care, billing, or medical information was not communicated effectively. Acting as culturally competent providers is a huge reason why we do the work that we do! Our experience working with individuals who have come from outside the healthcare system has increased our ability to meet people where they are, healthcare-wise. 

Lauren and her cohort at a CPR training this summer

When I asked Lauren how her experience shared her perception of public health, she shared, “ I think I really see the value of adding community members to care and advocating for expanding healthcare access. There was such a disparity when I was working in Nepal and here in the United States as well.” As patient advocates, we feel similarly. Access to the real tools in healthcare can often seem out of our reach. Lauren expressed a similar sentiment for her experience in Nepal. She explained how she was watching the difficult process of healthcare being expanded into smaller villages, especially after working in a major city like Kathmandu. She recognized the inequities and misunderstanding in care due to geographical proximity, an issue that is also often found within the US. “A large piece of public health, “ Lauren said, “Is working on recognizing inequity, and finding culturally-competent ways to minimize it.”Lauren's future plans include going to Medical School and continuing to study emergency medicine. She hopes to return to South East Asian in the future to pursue global health work. 

I am always so grateful for the opportunities I have to interview interesting and intelligent individuals who are living, working, and making a difference in our own city of Providence and across the globe!  Our work as culturally competent and caring providers and advocates can truly combat hate. If you are interested in being part of our blog and sharing YOUR story, email me at mia@wheelhouse-health.com! For more stories like Lauren's, make sure to check out our blog at wheelhouse-health.com!