Dim Sum

• Field Notes

Dim Sum

Foul Water/Fiery Serpent

Foul Water/Fiery Serpent (Cielo Productions) is a documentary film about the last push to eliminate Guinea worm. Most people have not heard of Guinea worm, one of the neglected tropical diseases, but its well-known champion, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, has been working toward this goal for years. Beautifully photographed and masterfully produced, the film highlights the health-worker heroes who are fighting to remove the disease one community, one family, one person at a time. Watch the preview online and look for the full-length documentary.

Inside the Outbreaks

The latest foray by veteran author, Mark Pendergrast, introduces many to the exciting and not-often shared stories of the Epidemic Intelligence Service. Inside the Outbreaks: The Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) chronologically follows the development of the forensic field arm of the CDC, fleshing out the personalities and pestilence that shaped this fascinating organization.  Through extensive interviews and case note review, Pendergrast acquaints the reader with the history of this health agency’s challenges and successes.  A few stories are familiar to many in the global health world, but most of the chapters are devoted to little-known medical mysteries. A compelling book, marred only by the reader left wanting more.

Anticorruption in the Health Sector

Anticorruption in the Health Sector: Strategies for Transparency and Accountability, edited by Taryn Vian, William D. Savedoff and Harald Mathisen (Kumarian Press), is a handbook for global health program managers. It outlines several opportunities for corruption in the field as well as methods for identifying and addressing them. The book also suggests strategies for structuring and managing finances and other resources to make programs less vulnerable to illicit activities. A useful read to program managers in the field.

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