Funded!

For the past year +, I've had the honor of working (hard) with a team of public health peeps in Baltimore on a grant proposal to research the impact of information policy on health disparities in Tanzania, basically studying how a person's health is impacted by access to health care information. If that sounds familiar it's because it's also the basis of my research for my Certificate in International Studies, and will likely be my doctorate proposal if I choose to pursue a Ph.D.

Tanzania

If you've ever worked on a major grant proposal you know its tedious work; not just the writing portion, but aligning your project to fit what the funding agency wants, gathering a good team, getting a bunch of smart people to agree when they have different opinions. Tedious.

Tonight I was so happy to learn that our grant was funded! I almost can't believe it. I know I poured my heart into this project, but funding can difficult, and I'm just a little fish. I'm on a team with a few big fish, but still...I wasn't expecting success on the first attempt.

I moved to Baltimore, in part, because of the public health opportunities. Between the public health professionals, faculty at Hopkins, and the Bmore community, it's a perfect place to research and implement programs. I thought it would be years before I was able to make a major move, but things are playing out differently. It's exciting and gratifying and I can't wait!

A part of me is nervous though. I know I'm smart, I can be brilliant if I want, but this is going to require a lot of hard work, and I can also be lazy and easily bored :) And did I mention this isn't a part of my day job, it's a project I worked on independently; I'll have to consider how I want to handle a leave-of-absence. Then there's the matter of spending an extended period of time in a developing country.

There's a lot of work to do in the next few months--intensive language immersion courses, orientations, clearances, visas, etc. I'm psyched though! This is the first tangible culmination of  what I've worked on for the past months--grant writing, international studies, East African studies, Swahili, and information studies. It all came together!

Wish me luck!

Happy Wednesday peeps!

Hugs and kisses,

Bethany