Third-year medical student Larissa Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 journey to becoming a physician is reaching far beyond UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Medicine campus 麻豆精品 S� all the way to Peru.
After a three-week clinical experience at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas – Escuela de Medicina in Lima, Peru, last year, Dixon was motivated to pursue 麻豆精品 S� and recently earned 麻豆精品 S� a U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center Fellowship to further her studies at Peru 麻豆精品 S檚 Asociaci贸n Civil Impacta Salud y Educaci贸n (IMPACTA). A former middle school science teacher, Dixon is the first UCF student to earn the prestigious year-long fellowship and one of nearly 100 students selected worldwide this year.
麻豆精品 S淲hen I was in Peru, I thought it was such a great experience and I wanted to know how I can come back and do more research, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 had no idea how I would be able to do that, but I knew the first step was speaking to doctors and researchers about their own career trajectories and how they became involved in global health. From there, I learned about and pursued the Fogarty program. 麻豆精品 S�
Combating Antibiotic Resistance at Home and Abroad
Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 project will examine how Peruvian clinics distribute preventative antibiotics, specifically a newer one known as doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPEP), and how patients use them to stave off sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
She will survey healthcare providers and patients to understand what is needed for safe and effective implementation of DoxyPEP.
Dixon hopes her findings will better inform global efforts to reduce the threat of antibiotic resistance, where bacteria gradually adapt to overcome medical treatments.
麻豆精品 S淎s places start to adopt guidelines, I 麻豆精品 S檓 hoping my research can better inform how and when these measures should be used, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
Unlike in the U.S., patients in Peru often get antibiotics without a prescription despite regulations requiring one. so studying the outcomes in both countries gives health care providers a fuller picture of how to combat drug resistance.
Antibiotic resistance can arise when antibiotics are widely used, creating a challenge for new prevention strategies. Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 research focuses on balancing the promise of DoxyPEP, which has been shown to lower rates of STIs in certain populations, with the risks of increasing antimicrobial resistance. By engaging both patients and clinicians, the study aims to identify gaps in care and guidance that can inform educational efforts, strengthen antibiotic stewardship, and support safe and effective STI prevention.
麻豆精品 S淎ntimicrobial resistance is such an important topic because once our antibiotics stop working, it could basically take us back to an era without antibiotics where essentially any minor infection could actually significantly harm you, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 really important for all countries to work together and monitor antibiotic use and adopt evidence-based guidelines. 麻豆精品 S�
Elena Cyrus, associate professor of population health sciences, leads the emerging global health study abroad program that led to Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 fellowship. She says that Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 research directly addresses a global need and that it is relevant to populations here in the U.S.
麻豆精品 S淎ntibiotic resistance, the emergence of new STI 麻豆精品 S檚 and the overuse of antibiotics are all relevant issues, 麻豆精品 S� Cyrus says. 麻豆精品 S淭here are ongoing discussions to develop new antibiotics and new diagnostics to detect when overuse can be prevented. Larissa 麻豆精品 S檚 project is something that will allow this to be explored comprehensively. Her findings could then be translated to populations in the U.S., and they can help with overuse of medications here at home. 麻豆精品 S�
UCF Taking a Leading Role on the Global Stage
Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 achievement is extraordinary not only because of the intense competition for fellowship awards, but also because UCF is not yet part of an NIH-supported global health consortium of universities that supports the fellowship. To be considered for a Fogarty International Center Fellowship, scholars must be sponsored by one or more consortium faculty researchers.
In addition to creating a research project worthy of NIH funding, Dixon had to seek out mentors and sponsors from across the U.S. and abroad.
She persisted, reaching out to the dozens of universities in these consortia to advocate for herself.
Dixon is being mentored by Jenell Stewart at the University of Minnesota through the Northern Pacific Global Health Leadership, Education and Development for Early-Career Researchers consortium, in partnership with Cyrus. She is also receiving mentorship from Javier Lama and Alexander Lankowski in Peru through IMPACTA.
Cyrus commends Dixon for her determination and for her ability to navigate the challenging path to earning the fellowship.
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 so very excited for Larissa. She 麻豆精品 S檚 a prime example of how the College of Medicine global health program has exceeded what was imagined, 麻豆精品 S� Cyrus says. 麻豆精品 S淔ogarty is an incredibly prestigious fellowship that Larissa secured in a relatively short period of time 麻豆精品 S� from when she learned about it in study abroad last June to earning the fellowship award this summer, which is phenomenal. 麻豆精品 S�
Through the increased visibility gained by Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 fellowship, Cyrus hopes UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 global health presence will be significantly elevated enough for consideration into an NIH global health consortium. That distinction would accelerate the university 麻豆精品 S檚 medical research enterprise and allow UCF students to seek mentorship directly through UCF, she says.
麻豆精品 S淥ne of our goals is to be part of a consortium and spearhead one in the southeast region in the U.S., 麻豆精品 S� Cyrus says. 麻豆精品 S淲e strive to make UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Medicine a flagship institution, so this was really a dream of ours. With this, we start to build a foundation that supports groundbreaking research such as Larissa 麻豆精品 S檚 project, by other UCF trainees and faculty. 麻豆精品 S�
“With this, we start to build a foundation that supports groundbreaking research such as Larissa 麻豆精品 S檚 project, by other UCF trainees and faculty,” 麻豆精品 S� Elena Cyrus, associate professor of population health sciences
Translating Experience Into Practice
Cyrus, who earned a Fogarty Fellowship herself in 2012, says Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 experience will further propel her into becoming a leader in global health.
麻豆精品 S淔ogarty helps you as a first-time principal investigator and introduces you to an elite network of scientists from all over the world, 麻豆精品 S� Cyrus says. 麻豆精品 S淪he 麻豆精品 S檒l get a breadth of exposure that will supplement and enhance her UCF training. 麻豆精品 S�
Dixon 麻豆精品 S檚 long-term goal is to divide her time between clinical work and research abroad while teaching and mentoring future students in the U.S. She plans to become an infectious disease physician specializing in HIV and STI research, combining clinical care with global health research focused on prevention, treatment and antimicrobial resistance.
麻豆精品 S淚 think with medicine, you learn how to really impact someone’s life on an individual level, 麻豆精品 S� Dixon says. 麻豆精品 S淛ust having that Fogarty fellowship under my belt opens up so many global connections for me. 麻豆精品 S�
About the Fogarty International Center:
According to the NIH, the Fogarty International Center is dedicated to supporting global health research conducted by U.S. and international investigators, building partnerships between health research institutions in the U.S. and abroad, and training the next generation of scientists to address global health needs.
