Hi All

Hello All,

My name is Matt and I will be taking you with me (in a virtual way) over the next year as I live and work in San Jose Centro! Please read on to get an idea of where I’m coming from and where I’ll be going…

I am currently a second year medical student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, but, starting this July, I will be taking a year out from my studies to immerse myself in the San Jose community. Awarded a grant to conduct global health research, I will be in San Jose as the 2008-2009 International Medicine Fellow from the University of Rochester. My research will evaluate two different methods of distributing Potters for Peace Ceramic Water Filters, with the hope that the results will allow us to expand the use of these filters within San Jose in the most effective manner possible. Beyond this research, I will also be the contact person and grunt laborer for all our ongoing projects in San Jose, including the ferro-cement water tanks, cook-stoves, microfinance initiatives, and on and on.

So that’s where I’m going, but where did I come from? Well, I grew up in the woods of Maine, stopped in Vermont for college, and have kept going west from there. If you come to Rochester, you’ll likely find me in some green area, either on my bike, in my running shoes or with a soccer ball (trying to prepare for Central America). If I’m not there, I’m probably in the library. Or trying to convince someone that things outside our country really matter. Or trying to fix some injustice in Rochester. Who knows!

In the past, I’ve spent time in Ethiopia and Ecuador, trying to do my part in bringing better health to all. In each place I have met amazing people. As I take off for Honduras this coming year, I hope you will check in with my blog and meet the wonderful people of San Jose with me. It promises to be a wonderful year!

Matt