Veterinarian, international nutrition student collaborate on research

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:00:00 -0500

Interactions among trainees from different disciplines has led to novel research that likely would not otherwise have been undertaken. For example, interactions between one trainee who is a veterinarian and another trainee who is a student in international nutrition led to the nutrition student, Sarah Pedersen, investigating interactions among a widespread zoonotic disease that is a major cause of diarrheal illness in children, breastfeeding practices and HIV status in Tanzanian mothers and infants. Preliminary results show that breastfed children are immune to the disease up until their 3rd month, irrespective of the mother's HIV status. Research into the underlying mechanisms is ongoing.