What am I doing in Viet Nam?

My Trip is four-fold.

1. Personal Growth and a reconnection to my past. My previous blog comments have addressed this topic and so I won’t ramble on this anymore here.
2. My work at the Pasteur Institute. I will do epidemiology research in HIV/AIDS, Dengue Fever, and Avian Flu three days a week. This means fieldwork and surveys particularly in the rural areas around Viet Nam to assist and update ARV (Antiretroviral Therapy) and VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) for HIV in clinics and hospitals as well as understanding the epidemics of dengue fever and avian flu.
3. My work at an orphanage doing HIV/AIDS work is two days a week. Due to the privacy of the children, the stigma of HIV/AIDS, and the sensitivity of this work, this is the only and final comment on this part of my work in this blog. I will say that this will be an inspiring experience that might push me towards pediatrics as my future in medicine.
4. Through the Judd Fellowship at the U of MN, I plan to build a connection with the University of MN Medical School and organization/school in Viet Nam for an exchange of medical knowledge and education for students. This proposal is outlined in my “Vietnam Minnesota Partnership Initiative”