Ghana, Africa; Kennedy Center Ghana Field Studies; Katie McDiarmid

This past Fall semester (2011), I had the great opportunity to perform a field study in the Ashanti region of Ghana and to work with the Seventh-Day Adventist hospital there. I volunteered with one of the only physical therapists in the region as well as the maternal and child health clinic there. As part of my field study, I conducted a research project addressing the affects of cultural tradition on westernized medicine in rural areas of Ghana. I was blessed to be able to interview many physicians and patients, learning from them in the process. I was also able to work with the physical therapist in advocating physical therapy as a viable form of medicine. There isn't a lot of support for physical therapy (from the government or the public), as it is a relatively new system in third-world countries. I plan to use my research and the experiences I have had to further my education in international development and health promotion so that someday I can return (or travel elsewhere) to establish physical therapy clinics and outreach programs in rural areas of Africa.