“I have in my office a sign that says '27,000 children around the world died yesterday.  What are you doing about it?' ”

Pavani Ram, assistant professor in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, is fighting the spread of often fatal diseases by focusing on the effectiveness of hand washing in preventing transmission of dangerous pathogens.

“I’m motivated, No. 1, by compassion.  And I’m motivated to try to identify low-tech solutions with high impact on public health,” says Ram.

Working with an international team and using bars of soap outfitted with motion sensors, she is measuring how the promotion of hand washing with soap affects hand-washing behavior, diarrhea morbidity and other child development measures in Peru, Senegal, Tanzania and Vietnam.  In India, she is studying how health professionals can leverage “teachable moments”—such as the onset of an illness in a child—to motivate family members to wash their hands regularly.
 

>Learn more about giving to the School of Public Health and Health Professions.