Through her internship with the FlüGe Project, housed at the School of Public Health at Bielefeld University, Muriel’s goal was to understand refugee health, and to learn more about public health research using biostatistics and computer software. She analyzed and interpreted data on health behaviors and nutritional status, developed a research question, and wrote a scientific paper on weight and BMI changes among refugees in Bielefeld. Through her research, she aimed to highlight the importance of nutritional status and weight management among refugees, and encourage host countries to take preventative actions upon their arrival. Muriel also presented on nutrition in humanitarian crises to professors and other students during a series of colloquia, and visited refugee housing and a health clinic where she observed interactions between refugees and the medical doctor. In the future, Muriel plans to work on a study that compares the health of Middle Eastern refugees in Lebanon to that of those in Germany. To prepare for this project, with the help of UNICEF Lebanon and LOST NGO, she visited two Syrian refugee camps in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon to conduct informal focus groups, resulting in a written report about her visit.
Muriel Bassil, Isabel Bagramian Travel Award
