Counting Down...

Wow, the time sure has flown by. There are now less than two weeks until I am on a flight to New Zealand, ready to disembark and begin my summer adventure. I am super excited, but also a little nervous. Who knows what's out there in the world, especially when snooping around a potentially controversial topic such as healthcare. I can't wait!

To keep everyone updated, I have been really busy this week making contacts, and I think I am pretty well done with New Zealand. I am just waiting on hearing back from some more people, but I have already secured meetings with the Assoc. Minister of Health, and two distinguished scholars in the field of Maori Healthcare Access Disparities, as well as contacted several parliamentarians and healthcare facilities.

Today I met with University of Miami President (and former US Secretary of Health and Human Security) Donna Shalala. We spoke about a finding data for my research and finding contacts for my work about the US system. She was very helpful, and I am more confident than ever. I will soon be contacting former US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, who runs an institute which focuses on healthcare disparities in the US, thanks to President Shalala.

Tonight, I will be diligently working on making Australia the next country to have its contacts sorted out for the most part before I leave. Hope to post again soon, as the time is ticking away.