We have been fully active with the South Africa project over the last year. Since we came back we have been busy finishing the work from last summer and getting the next teams ready to go. One team is already there as I type this!
After returning to the states we worked to analyze the data. Last summer we were busy collecting 458 charts, then realizing we need to change the dates we were collecting and starting all over to collect 500 more charts (our targeted sample size). When we began analyzing the data we realized that despite taking all statistical precautions with calculating the sample size we were in need of more patients to make the study significant. (Preliminary results are supporting our hypothesis that there is a significant difference in morbidity associated with patients with and without TB, HIV/AIDS.) Dr Richards is sending three more teams down this summer to collect more data for this study and work on some of his other studies.
Kalen and I have been helping train the next teams going down and create manuals for the study. Our team was the first to go and helped create the data collection process used. Once in country we had to tweak and adjust a lot of things, typical for international studies. As such we understood the project very well and had worked through many problems during our time. We are hoping to stream line future teams to avoid them dealing with the same problems and help Dr Richards create some solid documents for the "HR" side of his studies going forward.
Dr Richards is now in the process of starting a non-profit, 501(c)3 which would house all the logistics for the students working on the studies. We think of it now as the "South Africa Consortium" and are excited to see the non-profit be formed and allow more students to become involved. I will be partnering with Dr Richards this summer to get that off the ground.
We would like to thank Warner Pacific College, our alma mater, for highlighting the South Africa project in the spring 2010 edition of 'The Experience' college magazine. We are grateful for the strong support we continue to receive from WPC and are proud to be alums. If you are interested in learning more about this project or supporting one of Dr Richards studies or nonprofit please contact me (mstokke@du.edu).
