Slightly off-topic, but I was really excited to see an article by Atul Gawande on the list of reserved materials for the course. Reading one of his books in high school is what really sparked my interest in healthcare improvement. The US heathcare system is highly technologically advanced, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we provide the best care. Simple changes can often result in large improvements (he's a big fan of checklists and handwashing to improve patient outcomes). I remember that article specifically talking about machines sitting unused in low-resource hospitals around the world because of the lack of replacement parts and repair technicians. It is dangerous to assume that the best way to help improve healthcare in developing countries is to push our systems and technologies into areas unprepared to use them effectively

Completing this week's assignment was an interesting exercise in statistical analysis. It's really important to not take statistics at face value, as they can be very misleading. 

Learning about the post-Ebola effects on Sierra Leone was very sobering. The US population largely only cared about the (limited) direct threat to our nation, and once that was mitigated lost interest. Even though Sierra Leone may have largely neutralized the threat, the impact of the crisis on healthcare could last for a generation (especially when considering the drops in vaccination rates).