As anyone who has tried to modify their eating habits or sleeping patterns knows, public health campaigns, medical advances, and scientific findings, do not always translate into immediate behavioral change. Long-lasting improvements in health and well-being require researchers who consider political, cultural, and economic factors alongside vital human health concerns.
This multi-faceted approach lies at the heart of Tufts Institute for Innovation’s research mission and is clearly illustrated through one of TII’s most successful Faculty Seed Funding Projects, led by School of Engineering faculty members Elena Naumova (also the Dean of Faculty and a Professor at the Friedman School) and Kurt Pennell. The researchers brought together Tufts experts from an array of disciplines and combined forces with Ghanaian and Indian communities to reduce the prevalence of water-associated disease in these areas.
*Image from Steffan Hacker’s 2016 documentary, "Innovation Against Infection." Hacker is a Multimedia Producer for the Communications Department of Tufts University.