Today was absolutely one for the books – we had some awesome discussions, learned even more about IUDs and reproductive health, and even toured a testing lab.
We began with a conversation with Irina Yacobsen. She told us all about how she was a practicing doctor in Russia, but decided it was too much hassle to go through the process of becoming a doctor when she moved to the US, leading to her going into Public Health. She discussed all the awesome projects that she has been working on, all of which are intended to train volunteers and medical professionals in developing countries, as opposed to just doing the work themselves. The way see it, it’s kind of like teaching a man to fish instead of giving a man a fish (as the old saying goes).
Next (my favorite part of the day), we went to the FHI 360 lab, called PQC. The first part of the tour was testing for medical devices, but we mostly saw condom testing. We watched them blow up a condom (it was HUGE and burst at about 50 L of air) and put water in them to check for leaks, as well as submerge unopened condoms in water to check for leaks.
Next, we got to the second part of the lab, in which they use chemistry, mostly to determine the composition of different pills. This part was especially intriguing because me and the other advanced chemistry kids were able to understand a surprising amount of what they did, and had even done labs on some of it. The experience only solidified my love for the subject.
After we got back and had lunch, we met with two other incredible people. First, Marta Pirazdeh talked to us about her role, which was very unique as she focused more on the “marketing” side than the “medicine” side. Her idea was that research doesn’t matter if you aren’t able to convey the information to the appropriate audience and share it, so her job as a technical officer was to introduce visual products and education to use the research.
Finally, we met with Dr. David Hubacher, a scientist who was VERY widely loved at FHI 360. He shared a lot with us about IUDS, including his collection of all the different types over the years (see below). He had endless knowledge at the tip of his tongue, so much so that there wasn’t a question he couldn’t answer.
After we picked his brain for almost double the allotted time, it was time to call it a day and rest our brains. Can’t wait for tomorrow!