Seth Hoffman
Seth Hoffman graduated from Cornell University in 2012 with a major in anthropology and a minor in global health, and is currently a medical student at The Medical School for International Health. While at Cornell he founded the first university recognized, student-run chapter of Share Our Strength – an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger. In 2010, he worked with the University of Leiden and University of Indonesia in Nangapanda on the island of Flores, Indonesia on the immunological and clinical interactions between hookworm infections and malaria. Seth blogged for End the Neglect regarding his experiences on Flores. In 2012 he was elected as the first undergraduate councilor of the American Committee on Global Health, of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
After graduation from Cornell, he worked for a year at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where his efforts focused on developing and scaling up community health worker programs and mHealth/eHealth programs in Sub Saharan Africa, Latin America, and India as part of the Millennium Villages Project. Seth’s publications include research on mosquito development and molecular aspects of mosquito odorant binding proteins. His passions include medicine, music, surfing, martial arts, and working to help the world realize its potential to become a more socio-culturally conscious and compassionate place for all.
Project: "Developing Clinical Competence in Tropical Infectious Diseases"
July 9, 2014 - August 13, 2014
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
What does the Kean Fellowship mean to you?
In terms of a career in tropical infectious diseases and global health, the Kean Fellowship has given me the opportunity to gain first-hand experience with tropical infectious diseases and begin the process of developing clinical competence in the management of these diseases. The honor of receiving the Kean Fellowship has been heightened by the fact that Dr. Kean influenced my father to enter the field of tropical infectious diseases when he was a student of Dr. Kean’s in medical school. Additionally, I read Dr. Kean’s fantastic memoir before hearing of the Fellowship and was further motivated to apply for the Fellowship.
What do you anticipate learning?
I anticipate learning about what it is like to practice and conduct clinical research as an infectious diseases physician in a developing country with a high incidence of infectious disease rarely seen in the US, Europe, and other more developed parts of the world. The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) at The Hospital for Tropical Diseases has provided the perfect environment to fulfill my learning goals. I expect to become familiar with adult and pediatric patients presenting with diseases including HIV, TB meningitis, cryptococcal meningitis, toxoplasma meningitis, herpes encephalitis, tetanus, and dengue, and the art and science of caring for these patients.
What interests you about tropical medicine and what problems are you interested in solving?
My parents are both tropical infectious diseases researchers and thus I have been exposed to medicine, global health, and the developing world since I was young. They frequently took me on field trips with them to Asia, Africa, and Latin America that broadened my understanding of peoples and cultures. I intend to make a major impact during my medical career by serving those most in need, facilitating delivery of an equal level of healthcare to all, and improving the tools of medicine through research. A career in tropical medicine unites my interests in infectious diseases and serving the world’s most underserved. I know that the field of tropical infectious diseases today is not what it will be 10 years from now and I want to receive the best training I can in order to be ready to provide the best care possible when I finish my training. This desire to reach my potential as a physician has motivated me to begin to develop clinical competence early on by participating in the medical elective at the OUCRU.