Maya Almoussa, MDc
Nominated From: University of Michigan
Research Site: Centro de Investigaciones Tecnológicas Biomédicas y Medioambientales (CITBM)
Research Area: Infectious Disease, Environmental Health
Primary Mentor: Joseph Zunt, MD, MPH
Research Project
Optimizing Green Spaces to Reduce Leptospirosis Transmission and Improve Health Outcomes in Iquitos, Peru
Iquitos, a Peruvian urban slum of half a million residents, has been experiencing a Leptospirosis outbreak which carries serious health consequences. Iquitos’ social and environmental infrastructure poses many risk factors for transmission of Leptospirosis, including neglected backyard gardens and green spaces that expose residents to disease vectors. Concurrently, Iquitos hosts the lowest amount of green space per capita in Latin America. This project seeks to identify risk factors posed by neglected backyard gardens and green spaces and design interventions to mitigate those risks in order to reduce the transmission of Leptospirosis while concurrently improving access to green space in Iquitos. Environmental, social, and clinical factors will be assessed via environmental surveys, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and clinical assays. Interventions will be disseminated via the Healthy Amazonian Green Cities Initiative with the goal of promoting healthy green infrastructure and low Leptospirosis risk in Iquitos.
Research Significance
This project aims to create a sustainable local for reducing disease transmission by increasing access to green spaces and consequently improving physical and mental health. Once a model is created, the hope is to use it as a blueprint in other regions locally and worlwide.
Mentors
