Partnerships Aid Researchers in Nepal
By Tony Pham, Global Health Pathway, Med/Psych, Nepal Seven months into my research year, high within the far-western regions of Nepal, and during a COVID-19 peak of which I had been blissfully unaware, a local community member and friend broke the inconvenient news—people were talking and everyone agreed I brought COVID-19 to their village. My research colleague and I hadn’t exhibited symptoms, but we could take a hint, and began the demoralizing descent back to the previous village, where they met us outside the border and encouraged us to continue our journey. Eventually, we found cellular coverage and, with it, new orders from our university, “return back immediately!” With a complete lock-down on our hands, we turned to our partners TPO Nepal, Duke, our Fogarty grant funders, and old familiar…