Unite For Sight 6th Annual Global Health Conference

For anyone interested in global health, consider the upcoming conference presented by Unite For Sight, "Achieving Global Goals Through Innovaction" which will be held at Yale University on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, 2009.  See below for information and links to the full schedule of events and registration.

200 Speakers, Including Keynote Addresses by Dr. Susan Blumenthal, Nicholas Kristof, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Dr. Sonia Sachs, Dr. Al Sommer, and Dr. Harold Varmus. Plus social innovation sessions by CEOs and Directors of Save The Children, Partners in Health, HealthStore Foundation, mothers2mothers, and many others.

What? Join 2,500 people from all 50 states and from more than 60 countries for an innovative, high-impact idea incubator. 
Who should attend? Students, public health professionals, doctors, educators, scientists, lawyers, universities, corporations, nonprofits, and others.  Anyone interested in international health and development, public health, eye care, medicine, social entrepreneurship, nonprofits, philanthropy, microfinance, human rights, anthropology, health policy, advocacy, public service, environmental health, and education.

For the full conference schedule, click here

To register, click here

The Ongoing Crisis in Zimbabwe

Hi all,

I'd like to bring more attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe.  The UN has just released estimates that there have been 60,000 cases of cholera, and over 2,800 people have died from this curable condition.  Instead of acting to help his people, the Mugabe regime has sent police to clear teaching hospitals, shut off water for months, and has refused to address the mass starvation of his people.  Earlier in the year, he refused to admit defeat in the general election.  Instead, he has said "I will never, never never surrender...Zimbabwe is mine."  Now Zimbabwe is plagued with cholera, anthrax, and pellagra.  

Over 4 million Zimbabweans have tried to escape to South Africa.  However, on the way countless women and children have been robbed and raped by "gumagumas," and life in Musina, where most of the refugees have settled for now, is not much better than what they have escaped.

Please make an effort to learn about the horrific situation in Zimbabwe by reading a few of the articles I've included below:

Zimbabwe: 'If Cholera Doesn't, Hunger Will Finish Us' (allAfrica.com, 12/8/08)

In Zimbabwe, a Cancer Called Mugabe (Washington Post, 1/8/09)

Desperate Children Flee Zimbabwe, for Lives Just as Bleak (NY Times, 1/23/09)

Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic could top 60,000 cases, UN says (Telegraph, 1/24/09)

If you are able, consider donating to two organizations who have taken the lead in dealing with this disaster:

Medecins Sans Frontieres

Physicians for Human Rights

Spread the word about the situation in Zimbabwe -- the media certainly isn't doing a good enough job.

Be well,

Alex

National PHR Conference in Providence

Hi all,

For any of you who may be interested in health and human rights, consider attending the National PHR Conference in Providence, titled "Health & Human Rights in 2009: Global Problems, Local Solutions."  Registration is $35.  Housing with students may be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Click here for more information.

Measuring the Ethics of Global Health Education

Hi all,

To those of you who came to our "Choose your own adventure" event on Wednesday, 1/14.  If you couldn't make that event, but are still interested in the ethics of getting health education abroad, come to our next event, this Tuesday, 1/20 at 6pm.  See below for a full description of the panel discussion.

“Measuring the Ethics of Global Health Education”

-Thinking of learning abroad?  Do ethical dilemmas keep you up at night?

Come hear Dr. Linnea Capps, head of one of the P&S fourth year International Electives Programs, and Lauren Taggart Wasson, MPH, discuss and debate the ethics of international medical education and our current methods of evaluating these projects.

6:00 p.m. in Hammer 324 on January 20^th.

Food will be served.

Click here to read an article written by Lauren Taggart Wasson.

 Dr. Linnea Capps is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in addition to working as Assistant Clinical Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health and Associate Director of the Department of Medicine and director of the residency program at Harlem hospital.   She spends a part of each year working in her community health project in Chiapas, Mexico with Doctors for Global health which is a private non-profit organization promoting health, education, art and other human rights throughout the world.  Dr. Capps works with a small community hospital and health promoter training project in a Mayan indigenous population.  Dr. Capps received her MD from the University of Missouri – Columbia and her MPH from Columbia University.

Lauren Taggart Wasson, MPH, is a medical student at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Her graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University and work for the USAID- funded POLICY Project focused on international HIV/AIDS.

The P&S Student Forum on Global Health and Human Rights is a partnership between the International Health Organization (IHO) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).  This year, it is graciously co-sponsored by Clinical Practice, FMIG, AMSA and Lambda.

P&S Forum: Your International Elective: An Ethically Ambiguous Choose Your Own Adventure

The P&S Forum on Global Health & Human Rights presents "Your International Elective:  An Ethically Ambiguous Choose Your Own Adventure"

Wednesday January 14 at 12:30 pm, HSC 322

The Forum on Global Health & Human Rights kicks off a new module entitled "The Ethics of Global Health Education."  As the summer approaches, many 1st year medical students will embark on international educational programs.  What are the benefits to these organizations?  Are they doing more harm than good?  Who is truly benefiting from the experience?  How could we measure the benefits and are we?

Do you remember Choose Your Own Adventures? Aren't they awesome?

Lunch will be provided!

Read a provocative article by Monsignor Ivan Illich titled "To Hell With Good Intentions"

Summer 2009 Global Health Internship Opportunity

Happy New Year to all!  Though it seems early, its already time to start thinking about this coming summer!  See below for a great internship for those interested in health in developing countries.

The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) is excited to offer international internships for Summer of 2009. These internships fulfill an important program goal: to help develop a diverse workforce of global health technical experts.

Ten interns will be selected to work at community-based organizations in Cambodia, India, and Senegal. In the past, interns have worked with organizations such as Bridges Across Borders, Cambodia Center for Human Rights, and Indias' Rural Development Center. All interns can expect a hands-on experience in the field of global health. For undergraduate and graduate students, and for those seeking a mid-career change, these compensated opportunities can be a crucial first step in gaining overseas experience. The internships are eight weeks long and include pre-departure training in Washington, DC.

Application deadline: March 15, 2009

Internships begin: June 1, 2009

GHFP is working with the One World Foundation to implement the international internship program. For additional information, visit the One World Foundation Website, or click on the application (http://www.theoneworldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/one-world-2009-application.doc).