Let me start this by thanking the Circumnavigators' Club, and their Foundation, for everything they have done. I particularly want to thank the leaders of the Florida chapters (Miami, Palm Beach, and Naples), all their members, Nicholas Moss (who was a Foundation scholar in 2004 and has been my liaison between myself and the Club), Mr. Greg Rider (president of the Club), and Ms. Helen Jost (who I have been working with at Club HQ diligently to try and get my trip details approved).
The award that the Foundation gives is not only exceedingly generous, but it is a striking example of how best to go about world scholarship. It is through exploring and researching, simultaneously, that we can best understand and learn from our neighbors on this planet. I haven't left yet, and already I know what a great thing this Grant is. Once again, to all the members of the Club, past and present, thank you for seeing what virtue learning in a global setting can have. I will not disappoint you with my research.
Speaking of which, the topic I have chosen is one of great import currently. I have seen, throughout my life, the importance of healthcare and medicine, and it had been my impression for a while during my youth that these wonderful advances in technology and general knowledge were available to all. Upon further study, I found my old view to be woefully naive. I began instead to try to understand why some people had proper access to healthcare, and why others did not. I came across no easy solution, and this has perturbed me for some time. I have rededicated myself, with a somewhat more focused area of interest.
It is true that in this country, the United States of America, there are those who do not have proper access, and this is for a variety of reasons. There are many solutions which have been suggested, but no one knows for certain which ones would work best, and which ones would be foolish enterprises. For this, I propose to turn to the greater world, and attempt to study the healthcare systems of other countries. I will look at the access afforded to underserved populations, and will then look back upon the situation in the US facing Latinos, Native Americans, African-Americans, etc in order to try to provide answers and suggestions for how best to ensure that lack of access will never be the reason for tragedy and inequality in the future of this country.
I have chosen a selection of countries scattered around the globe in order to do. I will begin my trip on May 13, heading to New Zealand, then to Australia, India, South Africa, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Peru. The groups of people I will be studying with are the Maori, Aborigine, lower castes, black South African, North African immigrants, and Incan descendants respectively. I will be visiting the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels and the World Health Organization in Geneva.
I hope that serves as a good introduction to the trip, and I'll keep you posted. Adios for now.
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