2016 GRAP Opportunity – Development of Referral Data Base for the Kingdom of Bhutan (01-Feeley)

Opportunity ID: 01-Feeley

Project Title: Development of Referral Data Base for the Kingdom of Bhutan

Faculty Mentor: Rich Feeley

Description Statement:

Bhutan is a country of 700,000 people that expends substantial health funds sending citizens out of the country (to India and Thailand) for specialty medical services not available within the country.  At the moment, the country has no statistical overview of the extent of this expenditure, the distribution of expense, diagnosis and treatments purchased, or the outcomes of such referrals.  I have committed to colleagues in Bhutan that we will attempt to develop a data base, integrating medical and financial data, which the country can use in evaluating its referral program and deciding what additional specialist services should be made available within the national health system.

Scope of Work:

One or two students will work with me to develop the national data base.    We will select the most appropriate data base program, and once I have agreed with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the data elements to be included, the students will structure, program and debug the data base in Boston.  I anticipate, but cannot promise, that the student(s) would then travel to Bhutan during the summer to work with MOH personnel to load the data base.  I will then work with them to analyze the data and we will present to the Bhutanese government

Minimum Skills Desired:

Knowledge of candidate data bases and ability to program a data base within the selected application (Excel? Access? EpiInfo?).   Ability to work hard in difficult surroundings and assure careful attention to detail so that correct and complete data is entered.  Flexibility to work in a very different cultural environment.

Time/Date Expectations:

I expect to travel to Bhutan in January/February to review available data and agree on the elements to be included in the data base.  Prior to departure the student and I would review candidate data base programs to select the one that is most likely to be robust and easily maintained by Bhutan going forward. (One or two meetings and exploration of relative merits of different data bases).

Programming and debugging of the data base would occur February-April.  Hard to judge, but I would guess 80 hours of work

Initializing of the data base in Bhutan  (which will  be a qualifying practicum) will occur  over a 6-8 week period between May and August, during which the student will be working full time .

Additional Material Requested:

Documented previous experience in developing and/or maintaining data bases.  Some experience living and working in developing countries desirable (such as Peace Corps).

Number of Positions: One or Two (1-2)

Logistics & Support:

Student will apply for a Santander Practicum Fellowship with my support.  No guarantee of an award.  This is not a funded project–I am contributing my time and some of the travel costs for myself.  If a Santander Fellowship is received, it should be sufficient to cover air fare and some (probably not all) living costs in Bhutan