Wayne State students learn about diabetes education firsthand in Belize

Wayne State University students Safa Hussein, Nina Thomas-Taggart, and Lynessa Asplund at the community site in Belize.

More than 2,000 miles from Wayne State University, three students spent part of their summer in Orange Walk, Belize, studying how diabetes education can help people better understand their health.

With support from Wayne State's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students Lynessa Asplund, Nina Thomas-Taggart and Safa Hussein turned a project developed in their Global Health course into hands-on research. The course, taught by Dr. Jonathan Stillo, associate professor of cultural anthropology, explores global health challenges and the social and cultural factors that shape health.

Wayne State student researchers and members of the medical team stand beside the bus that transported the group throughout Belize.

Wanting to apply those lessons in the field, the students approached Stillo about a diabetes project in Belize, which he helped shape through a medical anthropology lens.

During the diabetes education sessions, community members asked questions about symptoms, medications, nutrition and managing the disease. Working alongside two physicians, a nurse and local church leaders from Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I., the students gathered research data through questionnaires and interviews.

Student researchers assist with registration and check-in during a community diabetes event in Belize while coordinating participant flow and research data collection.

Learning beyond the classroom

For Asplund, a second-year nutrition and food science major, Med-Direct scholar, and Irvin D. Reid Honors College student, being in the community brought deeper meaning to what she had learned on campus.

"A classroom can teach you statistics about health disparities, but being immersed in a community forces you to see the people and circumstances behind those numbers," she said.

Hussein, a second-year public health and neuroscience double major at Wayne State, took away a different lesson: Addressing health challenges requires more than medical knowledge. It also means listening to communities and understanding what they need.

"What stood out to me was how eager people were to learn more about their health," she said. "It showed me that education can be a powerful tool in helping people feel more informed and involved in their own care."

A moment between a physician and a participant stayed with Thomas-Taggart, a second-year neuroscience major minoring in Spanish and chemistry. When a participant became emotional while discussing their health, a physician responded with an embrace - an interaction that showed Thomas-Taggart the role compassion plays in patient care. "Seeing how the doctor provided empathy and quality care showed me that doctors should have connections with their patients and communities," Thomas-Taggart said. For the aspiring physician, the experience connected her education at Wayne State with a broader lesson about building trust and relationships with patients.

Creating a lasting impact

The students focused on gathering research through the Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ-24) and a rapid ethnographic assessment, which allowed them to observe how community members engaged with diabetes education. Stillo guided the students in using these methods to conduct global health research during their time in Belize. They also assembled diabetes care kits with educational materials and supplies to support continued diabetes management.

Students assembled take-home diabetes care kits with resources and supplies for continued care.

"From the beginning, we didn't want this to become a project where we flew into Belize, provided resources for two days, collected data and then left," Asplund said. "For community health initiatives to have meaningful impact, there has to be some level of sustainability after the visiting team goes home."

Back at Wayne State, the students are analyzing their findings with Stillo and preparing to present their research through UROP. The experience also helped shape the kind of physicians they hope to become.

"Undergraduate research expands students' horizons, but collaborating across cultures and experiencing new places pushes those horizons even further," said Dr. Lauren Bonilla, program manager of undergraduate research and high-impact learning. "UROP projects like this give students the opportunity to learn directly from communities, bring those perspectives into their research and studies, and use what they learn to make a meaningful difference."

Learn more about research opportunities available through Wayne State's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).

To get the latest information about undergraduate research opportunities and resources to support your research journey at Wayne State, enroll in UROP's Canvas site.

By Darlene A. White