I am interested in the fellowship program due to the opportunity to highlight the importance of the connection between human and ecological health. Being in the Lewisburg area I have the ability to provide information that will be beneficial to the large farming community, particularly those that own livestock.
For my project I want to explore zoonotic diseases. Specifically, I want to track the pattern of past, present, and reemerging diseases and their effect on community treatment. Through my project it is important that I outline the political and social aspects of treatment, particularly how specific people are treated versus others. Zoonotic diseases have a powerful impact on public relations as well as governmental reactions. To start off, I want to provide education and resources regarding non-pandemic and pandemic level zoonotic diseases. I want to explain the history and areas the diseases originated and spread too, the hosts that can carry and pass on these diseases, present day treatment, and provide information on the current research that exists. I then plan to talk about the patterns of treatment and particularly how some areas are subjected to social and physical conflict due to negligence from political and public factors. If possible I would like to interview survivors, victims, or family members that have been subjected to such treatment and ignorance. By creating this digital project the issue of mistreatment can be brought to the forefront to start a conversation regarding solutions. I plan to use medical journals and books written on these diseases. I also plan to use case studies for pandemic diseases in particular areas of interest.
By creating my project I hope to learn about the patterns and history of treatment about these zoonotic diseases that effect a large majority of the human population. I also hope to become more knowledgable about the current world medical issues. Through completing the project, in the future I will be able to join the conversation surrounding the medical ethics relating to my topic.