Cristalle Choi Participates in Global Livingston Institute 2020, Blog 1: Public Health & Music Research

This summer, I participated as a Global Scholars Fellow in an immersive 5-week remote-based international development classroom and research experience hosted by the Global Livingston Institute. I was assigned to a 7-person Public Health & Music research group with fellows from Colorado to Louisiana. I was ecstatic to contribute to one of Global Livingston’s major projects, the iKnow Concert Series. The concerts are free public health music festivals offered in East Africa dedicated to offering free health services and de-stigmatizing HIV amongst hard to reach communities. My research group was tasked with strategically assessing and making key recommendations on the applicability and feasibility of the concert series in other communities and countries. Every week, our research group had specific milestones, collaborated through Zoom calls, interviewed experts in the field, and received guidance through our group mentor who is the founder of the concert series. Due to the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19, my research group looked towards expanding the concert into a virtual model through Facebook Live video streams and other technology avenues, such as podcasts to interview rising artists, to disseminate vital public health information. We recommended the concert series to establish strategic partnerships with current NGOs with experience in technology, popular mobile applications amongst the communities, and local Internet providers to assist with rural access. We also researched which countries the concert series should expand to through factors such as public health education and the significance of music in their cultures. Our research group homed in on the countries Rwanda, Tanzania, India, and Nigeria as promising candidates. In week 5, my research group had the opportunity to present our unique findings to Global Livingston Institute board members. I am amazed at how much my group was able to accomplish during this short time together. This was a wonderful fellowship where I got to expand my international development experience through hands-on work, connect with inspirational individuals, and learn more about how the music and the arts can be used as a mechanism to drive public health messages.

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