Linfield’s Kim Kintz (center), assistant nursing professor, and Neal Rosenburg (right), associate dean of nursing, traveled to Africa to launch phase one of a psychometric study among women to learn more about HIV and AIDS in Africa.
Photo courtesy of Kim Kintz

Last summer, two of Linfield’s nursing professors spent their time attempting to stem the HIV/AIDS epidemic through volunteering in health clinics in Africa.
Neal Rosenburg, associate dean of nursing, and Kim Kintz, assistant professor of nursing, spent three weeks traveling around in Douala, Buena, Bamenda and Shisong, Cameroon.
While there, the two visited antenatal clinics where they helped take care of pregnant women who have HIV and women who were at high-risk of acquiring HIV.
They distributed information and education on healthy modes of infant feeding in situations where resources are limited and encouraged women to practice exclusive breast-feeding.
“This was my first visit to Africa [and] one of many to come in the future,” Kintz said in an email. “It was an incredible learning experience for me and one I think students would appreciate.”
Rosenburg and Kintz also administered phase one of a psychometric study among the African women, which will gauge the level of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs they have about HIV and feeding options they have after giving birth.
Rosenburg got involved with this project by making contact with several universities and non-governmental agencies after applying and being wait-listed as a Fulbright Fellow, a program that sends a graduating senior and graduate students abroad for one academic year.
Rosenburg initially received funding as a faculty member in 2008, which helped him with his first trip to Cameroon.
“This was a cross-sectional study looking at knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of HIV and stigma among Cameroonian nursing students,” Rosenburg said in an email.
This was Rosenburg’s fifth time visiting Cameroon, and both Kintz and Rosenburg plan to return for phase two of the same study. In phase two they plan to have focus groups to better study pregnant women.
“I would highly recommend students to explore the opportunities to travel and become engaged in the research process with mentors along side them in the field,” Rosenburg said.

Samantha Sigler
News editor