It is 930am, and its the start of day 2 of the Team HBV Conference! We had an extremely productive and successful day yesterday with presentations from both China and US chapters throughout the day. We saw examples of how creative ideas can really transform the way people perceive and believe in our cause. I think that really is the power of working with youth - the endless supply of new ideas!

This morning, we started off the day with some games! There was some mingling and getting to know one another better, and some short quizzes to see if people were really paying attention yesterday!

After the morning games and activities, we'll settle down into some discussion. Now that we all have the skills and knowledge to do outreach and education about hepatitis B and liver cancer, we're going to really try to tease out where we can go from here. I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with!

More blogging later :)

-Alison

Hello all!

I am currently at the Team HBV Conference and am so excited to be back in the Bay!  It has defintely been a great start. We had a great night last night, getting to know all of the students and sharing some awesome Thai food.

Right now, we are currently listening to Dr. So, Executive Director and Founder of the Asian Liver Center, describe the issues surrounding hepatitis B and liver cancer awareness. Providing a lot of enthusiasm and inspiration, Dr. So has been offering words of wisdom about how to address the problem and how we, as students, public health professionals, scientists, and volunteers, can work together to make a big change.

One of the main reasons why I love working with the ALC is that they have always found innovative ways to "spread the word" regarding their cause. Having East Villagers stream the conference on this website is amazing! It offers students around the world the opportunity to share in the education and lessons learned throughout the conference. I think it will be great for the participants to share their ideas and work together.

We have much more to come for the rest of the day - I am excited to see what the students' presentations will be like!

Blog again soon :)

-Alison

Hello everyone!

I have been back in LA for the past month now and still can't really believe that I'm back in school! The UCLA fall quarter started last Thursday, and it was great being back in the classroom. Although it's a far cry from life at the Asian Liver Center this past summer, I'm glad to be finishing up my degree.

This quarter, I'm taking one class on nutrition and physical activity and seeing how that correlates with obesity. Another class will focus on health policy as it pertains to the aging population. I'm actually very interested in how this class progresses because the professor promised some emphasis on the current issue of national health care reform. In addition to these two courses, I'm taking two seminars. One is the epidemiology of aging and the other is the epidemiology of cancer. I've tried to take more classes focused on chronic disease this quarter to expand upon the knowledge that I gained this summer.  Hopefully it all comes in handy!

Other than classes, I'm excited to meet up with Andy, an undergraduate student at UCLA, sometime in the near future to discuss plans for starting a UCLA chapter of TeamHBV. I'm sure we will have lots to learn from one another, and I'm hoping we can spread awareness about hepatitis B and liver cancer. I can't wait to head back up to Stanford for the TeamHBV conference that is happening in November. I think it will be a learning experience for both me and Andy as we share with all of the other chapters what we're hoping to accomplish.

Lastly, I must say that I am loving the Twitter integration on the EastVillagers website...Props to EV!

Much love from LA,

Alison :)

Today has been my last day in the office, and I have to say it has been quite bittersweet!  It is such a fulfilling feeling knowing that all of the summer interns and the Asian Liver Center staff have done so much work this summer. However, I am also quite sad to say goodbye to an organization that has so much passion for their cause, so many dedicated and hard-working staff and interns, and has taught me so much.

To wrap up my summer, I have been finalizing a lot of the materials that I have spent the summer developing. The brochure that will be a quick reference guide for nurses is in its final stages. The online training modules will be receiving new additions and will be sent out for review in the near future. The supplementary healthcare provider's guide is also in works to be revamped with the help of other ALC staff. I am really excited for how these materials have come together in the past few weeks. My gratitude goes to Jing Wang, a great colleague, who has given me so much advice regarding these materials in the past two weeks. Thank you so much!

As I leave the Bay Area to return to UCLA for my final stint in the MPH program there, I am excited to begin working with the upcoming TeamHBV chapter that is being formed as we speak! Not only will I be staying in touch with the ALC to contribute to the Know HBV project, but I hope to help out the new TeamHBV chapter at UCLA as it takes its first steps. In fact, I am already planning on coming back to the Bay for the TeamHBV conference in November.

As my summer here as an intern at the ALC comes to a close, I really cannot thank all of the people who have been with me this summer enough. Firstly, I have to thank Dr. So for giving me the opportunity to become a part of the ALC family and introducing me to this very important issue. To the staff, you made me realize what it means to champion public health. To my fellow interns, I could not have asked for a more perfect group of students, peers, and friends to spend the summer with. And, finally, to Alena!  I really could not have gotten through the summer without your guidance, your energy, and your words of wisdom.  

Thank you all for a forever memorable summer.

More updates to come from LA!!

All the best,

Alison

Hello all!

Now that YLC has wrapped up, I finally have some time to spend on the online nursing education and training tool, KnowHBV. I was able to meet with Jing Wang to discuss both the nursing brochure that is in development as well as the training modules themselves. We spent a few hours going through every slide to ensure that we were both comfortable with the content. Having Jing along for the ride has been so helpful because she can provide insight from her experiences working in China.

After our meeting, I was able to make edits throughout the week. In the meantime, I am also waiting for edits from Jing regarding the guide that I am also developing. I am really excited regarding the progress we have made.  Looking back, I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by! It feels like yesterday when all the interns first met each other, and we were still learning what we would be doing for the summer!

Soon, we will be having the different curriculum materials reviewed, and hopefully, the modules will be sent to a web developer so that the training modules can be housed online. More updates when we get to that stage!

All the best,

Alison :)

 Hello everyone!

It has been a while since I have posted, but that usually means good things are happening in the office here at the Asian Liver Center!

This past week, we held our 7th Annual Youth Leadership Conference at Stanford University. About 100 high school students from all over the nation were invited to participate in the conference, which had the theme of "Web 2.0" this year. This theme touched upon the increasing use of social media within the teenage population. We wanted to teach the students how social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, EastVIllagers, etc.) can be used as a means to raise awareness and increase knowledge about hepatitis B. 

The conference included talks from various speakers, including social media expert, Beth Kanter, CEO of GE's Media, Communications & Entertainment Financing Business, Michael Chen, and Director and Founder of the ALC, Dr. Samuel So. We also held workshops for the students so that they could learn how to write resumes, be comfortable speaking in public, and look and act professional for business interactions. 

The main component of YLC, however, is the Team Challenge. Each team consisted of 10 high school students, one team leader, and one assistant team leader. These teams worked independently on developing different strategies to either 1) promote awareness and knowledge of hepatitis B, 2) target donors, or 3) create social support systems for those who are affected by hepatitis B. After the four day conference, each team presented their strategy, with the ALC staff selecting the best out of the ten teams. Each team worked hard to develop an innovative idea, and they all did an amazing job!

Though many of the staff were sleep deprived, I think we'd all agree that the time and effort was completely worth it. The participants walked away knowing more about what it means to be a leader, and how they will be able to use social media as a tool to effect change.

Now that the conference is over, we are all getting back to our individual projects. This means more editing and revising of my nursing school project curriculum! Updates on that next time :)

All the best,

Alison

PS Go Team Uno! 

Yesterday I attended a screening event at Living Word Church in Milpitas, CA. As it was my first outreach event, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Though most of the ALC staff and volunteers were at the event from noon until around 4pm, the time flew by!

Ying Ying and I were in charge of the registration table, and it was great to see so many people interested in getting screened. Having Dr. Chao speak at the event changed a lot of the attendees' perceptions of hepatitis B. At the beginning of the talk, the crowd was quite noisy, eating and talking. However, as they heard more of what she was speaking about, the crowd quieted down, and began to attentively listen, realizing how important the matter was.

The event was such a learning experience for me because I not only saw firsthand, what an effect just a small amount of education can make, and also how much effort goes into our screening events. The cooperation between the staff and the volunteers was great, and the event was run really well! I have to say, Tim, our Korean outreach coordinator, did a great job organizing the event. Overall, the screening was definitely a success, and we're getting geared up for another one next weekend!

Dr. Chao found this article today while at the office, and I thought I would share it with all of you.

www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/health/16chen.html

It's great to see that a cause that we are working hard for here at the ALC is gaining interest in mainstream media!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to update you all on the progress of the nursing student education project. We are working hard toward a final course outline for the training tool. Important components of the program will include general hep B knowledge, training on how nurses can educate their patients regarding immunizations and management of infection, as well as a practical guide for blood and injection safety.

In addition to providing a high-quality training program to the nurses we reach, we are hoping that we will be able to continue raising awareness and knowledge by  connecting them to other sustainable resources. Since the East Villagers community has become such a strong network, we are excited to be able to link the nursing students who end up taking our online course to East Villagers. This community, along with the ALC, APAVH, and WHO resources, will be great channels for the nursing students to further their involvement.

Concurrently, we are also developing new supplementary materials that will complement the in-depth online training tool. Firstly, there is a nursing brochure that will act as another resource for nurses. The brochure will contain essential facts regarding hep B, and will be helpful as a quick guide and refresher. Secondly, we are developing a more detailed Nurse's Guide that will follow the format of our successful Physician's Guide. Our goal with this tool is to provide comprehensive and exact information on all relevant hepatitis B issues for the nursing population.

Perhaps the most intriguing component of the packaged curriculum will be a 20-minute video that we are hoping to develop with the Department of Education here at Stanford. The video will infuse general HepB knowledge into a culturally competent and linguistically appropriate animated story. While we are designing this in conjunction with the nursing online tool, we are confident that this video will be great for use in other applications, such as educating students in rural parts of China or for use in doctor's offices or waiting rooms.

Much has been accomplished in this past week alone, and we can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings!

Best,

Alison

Hi everyone!

I thought I would give you all a glimpse at what it is like to be an intern here at the Asian Liver Center. It is my third week here, and everybody has been working hard on all of their projects. I am super excited about my project, and I hope you all will be, too!

I have been working with Alena Groopman on a new project under the Asia and Pacific Alliance to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis. As a part of the Asia and Pacific Alliance to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis (APAVH), the Asian Liver Center has begun development of an online training tool to help educate the nursing community about hepatitis B. The development of a training tool specifically for nursing students stems from the need for comprehensive instruction regarding hepatitis B in the current nursing school curriculum offered in the United States and in China. Based on peer-reviewed literature, current training tools, and qualitative accounts from key informants within the nursing field, much of the training available does not adequately portray the full effect of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) for those who are infected as well as the health care providers who monitor their health. In fact, many existing tools are not up-to-date with the most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September 2008 regarding hepatitis B; for example, Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) are rarely recognized as a high-risk population while chronic hepatitis B infection also receives less attention than necessary.

To pilot our new tool, we will be working in coordination with Shandong University School of Nursing. While the need for updated curriculum is clear, tailoring the delivery of such curriculum to the nursing students in Shandong is of utmost importance. A web-based tool will allow for easy dissemination of the new curriculum, as the implementation is immediate upon posting the tool on the internet. In addition, any student with access to the internet will easily be able to access the training program. Another advantage of developing a web-based program is that pre- and post-tests for knowledge assessment will be embedded within the tool, providing immediate data collection for evaluation. Developing the online training tool as a complete and packaged curriculum will ultimately lead to a durable product that can easily be replicated in other schools and locations.

From the training, students will be learning, through different interactive modules, general background information on hepatitis B, how to educate their patients, as well as basic occupational safety. While the majority of the program will include visual slides, accompanied by an audio track, there will also be embedded quizzes which will test the student’s knowledge at the end of each module. Incorrect or correct answers will prompt the program to re-emphasize certain points or to allow them to move on to the next module. Instructional videos will also make this training tool unique to nursing students as it will provide them with visuals of basic injection safety, preparation and administration of the hepatitis B vaccine, as well as how the nursing students can protect themselves from being infected.

The goal of this project is to ultimately educate nursing students at Shandong University School of Nursing about hepatitis B and the importance of vaccination and screening. By developing a comprehensive packaged curriculum in the form of an online training, not only will the Asian Liver Center/APAVH be able to increase knowledge and awareness, we will also be able to create a sustainable and replicable program. In turn, we expect that the spreading of knowledge and awareness through China will lead to consequently lower discrimination against hepatitis B and better quality of life for those chronically infected with hepatitis B.

While there is a lot of work that still needs to be done, we are really excited about what we have accomplished so far and where we are heading. I'll try my best to keep this updated and let you all know so that you can join in our efforts!

Best,

Alison