Brandon Twp.- As 2008 draws to a close, Tyler Cole reflected on it as an educational year in which he learned about the people of two different countries and the effects of pessimism and optimism, among other things.
Cole, 20, spent five weeks in Lima, Peru in April and May, followed by a 2-month stay in Guanajuato, Mexico and travel in Ecuador and Colombia.
The 2006 Brandon High School graduate is currently a junior at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor studying microbiology and joined a researcher from the U-M School of Public Health, along with another friend, to conduct grant-funded research.
‘We saw a perfect opportunity to help develop a cross-cultural research project focused on the consequences of optimism/pessimism in pregnant women in Lima, Peru and how it relates to their quality of life and pregnancy outcomes,? Cole said.
Preliminary results from surveys of Peruvian women found that higher levels of pessimism lead to lower birth weights, which is linked to higher infant mortality and antenatal complications.
While Cole and his research partners have not studied the results in-depth, he believes the study can inform future researchers and clinicians about issues to consider when treating patients of various cultural backgrounds. He also believes psychotherapeutic interventions may also be in order.
Cole has also been involved in Project Suyana, a humanitarian aid organization focused on addressing infant and maternal mortality rates in rural Puno, Peru, which has a lack of access to centrally located hospitals.
‘Rural women often fear travel, lack of care for their children while away, embarrassment in front of male doctors, mistreatment, and the massive financial burden of traveling into the city,? Cole said. ‘We have been actively working since 2006 to build a Casa de Estar, a shelter where women can go for free to receive the proper medical treatment they require before and during delivery. This summer, we extended our efforts to include English curriculum development for the poverty-stricken public schools, community health education approved by the School of Public Health, and donations of water filters to address the lack of clean drinking water in the community.?
He noted that Peru has sanitary procedures that are definitely less strict, outdated medical equipment, and a lack of equipment in general.
‘The doctors are forced to rely upon their own hands and brains to perform procedures requiring incredible amounts of skill since there is not the same sort of fancy equipment available,? Cole said. ‘The doctors in Peru have to ‘make do? with what they have and cope with challenges not faced by doctors in developed countries with more medical technological advances available. It is medicine in a very basic, perhaps ‘pure,? sense of the word.?
A highlight of Cole’s trip to the South American country was a visit to an all-boys orphanage in Puno. Children at the home had been abandoned or taken from their parents due to neglect or abuse.
‘The boys were incredibly disciplined, bright-eyed, anxious to learn, inquisitive, and tons of fun to be around, despite the conditions life has thrown at them,? noted Cole, who tutored the boys in English and other subjects, answered their questions about the United States and played with them.
Cole stayed in hostels during his travels, and also spent nearly three weeks with a Peruvian friend’s family. He describes them as ‘incredibly hospitable,? feeding him and his friend and taking care of Cole when he contracted a stomach infection.
Indeed, Cole found the people of Peru to be very warm and welcoming as well as the people in Mexico, where he learned about Mexican culture and had classes in linguistics, Mexican history and Mexican film/literature.
But he also found ‘severe? racism, even with shades of skin.
‘There is a clear correlation between the lightness of your skin and the money, prestige, and opportunities available to you,? Cole said. ‘It is a relic of the Spanish colonization and is unlikely to change for some time. There are, however, powerful indigenous rights movements that are fighting for equality and rights for all.?
Besides learning about the cultural differences, Cole also had some more typical tourist experiences, including seeing Teotihuacan, one of the main cities of the Aztec empire, which features the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, both of which he climbed. In Ecuador, he visited the Amazon, which he described as ‘an incredible experience,? and in Colombia, toured some remarkable archaeological sites.
Cole is continuing his education at U-M, researching the pathogenesis of the cancer- and ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori for an Honors thesis.