Publications and Research
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2013
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases constitute a significant public health burden, affecting over one billion people globally, yet this group of diseases is underrepresented in the appropriation of both monetary and intellectual capital for developing improved therapies and public health campaigns. The topic of neglected tropical diseases has been similarly marginalized in the biology classrooms of our nation’s high schools and colleges, despite offering an opportunity to teach and learn about a diverse area of microbiology with far-reaching public health, social, and economic implications. Discussed herein is an argument for increasing the representation of neglected tropical diseases in microbiology education as a means to generate increased interest in these diseases among the generation of future researchers and policy-makers, and to promote interdisciplinary learning, civic engagement, and critical thinking.
Included in
Epidemiology Commons, Microbiology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons
Comments
This work was originally published in Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, available at doi:10.1128/jmbe.v14i2.631