Category — Events

The 9th Annual Western Regional International Health Conference
April 27-29, 2012, University of Washington, Seattle

Closing Session, with mixer by the Critical Development Forum
April 29, 2012 — 3:00pm-5:00pm
Kane Hall 130

Where do we go from here? After all the discussions of hidden topics in global health, what do we actually do? What should students with good intentions do to learn about global health and make a difference?

This panel discussion and mixer co-hosted by the Critical Development Forum (CDF) and Global Health Resource Center (GHRC) is a space to share what we’ve learned, shared, and experienced during the conference and – crucially – find a few ways to move forward. We will ask panelists to discuss their experiences engaging ethically with global health work abroad and how they continue to make a global impact from here at home. Afterwards, join us for a mixer to make connections before the conference adjourns! The CDF and GHRC will have tables with information about opportunities to get involved in global health ethically at home and abroad, and ways to stay informed.

Moderator:

• Dean Chahim, BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, BA Global Development and Social Change
  Co-founder, Critical Development Forum
  Member of Engineers without Borders

Speakers

• Shafik Dharamsi, BEd, MSc, PhD
  Assistant Professor Family Practice, University of British Columbia
  Lead Faculty, Global Health Network
  Team Leader, Ethics of International Engagement and Service Learning (EIESL)
• Aaron Keating, MPA
  Communications Director, Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI)
• Onyinye Edeh, BA
  1st year MPH student from Enugu State, Nigeria

The 9th Annual Western Regional International Health Conference
April 27-29, 2012, University of Washington, Seattle

Pre-Conference Event
April 27, 2012 — 3:30pm-5:00pm
Savery Hall 260 – Open to Public
Speakers: Shafik Dharamsi & Matt Whiteman

Please join us for a special pre-keynote event co-sponsored by the Critical Development Forum to learn about the principles and creation of the Ethics of International Engagement and Service Learning (EIESL) project at the University of British Columbia (UBC). As more students from the UW and universities across the country travel abroad to study and serve, ethical dilemmas emerge. What can we at the UW do to minimize the harm and maximize the benefit of this upswing in global engagement for both students and host communities? Come to hear and dialogue with students and faculty from our colleagues at UBC working to “ethicize” the way their campus engages globally.

The EIESL Project at the University of British Columbia is a participatory action initiative designed to explore the ethical implications of service abroad and to enable ethically inspired action in international engagement activities. Motivations for service can range from a positive desire to respond to social disparities and to promote social justice, as well as, and sometimes primarily to practice skills, secure research grants, enhance a resume, and opportunities for travel to “exotic” places. Aboriginal communities in Canada, after years of frustration with efforts they felt did not seem committed to the community began to impose rules for conducting projects in their communities, leading guidelines known as “the 4 Rs”: Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity and Responsibility.

Please join us at this pre-conference dialogue event to learn about the EIESL project from faculty, staff and student perspectives, and to explore opportunities for developing our collective capacity for ethically engaged action at the University of Washington.

Learn more about the EIESL project on their blog and extensive web-based guidebook.

Since May 2011, The Compassionate Children, Caring Community Project has engaged over 2000 people living in our neighbourhood to think, talk and dream compassion. This partnership between Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House and the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education has now begun its action phase. The project is open to people of all ages and from allcultural, religious, and language backgrounds.

The Design Event

Wednesday April 18th
11:30am – 4:30pm
Lunch will be served at 11:30am
The Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
1607 E. Hastings St., Vancouver

Register with sarah@froghollow.bc.ca

On March 27th from 1:30pm – 2:30 pm,  join us for an exciting and thought provoking presentation on One Health to be given given by Dr. Craig Stephen, Director of the Centre for Coastal Health.

The phrase ‘One Health” has gained international prominence in the past decade, mostly on the heels of emerging zoonotic infections.  In an era where chronic disease and the social determinants of health predominate much of the public health agenda, what is the relevance of an approach founded on the prevention or response to emerging zoonotic diseases, most of which create low burdens of human morbidity and mortality?

This Fireside chat will explore:
- How a perspective that links human well-being to the health of the world around us can provide insights into how to deal with complex health issues.
- Current research that demonstrates how paying attention to the world around us may help in detection and triage of environmental hazards; foster more resilient landscapes which provide important environmental health services and create capacity that will allow us to realize the Health for All ideal.

Presenter: Dr. Craig Stephen, Director, Centre for Coastal Health,  Professor- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary.

Dr. Stephen is an epidemiologist and veterinarian who founded the Centre for Coastal Health (CCH) in British Columbia.  The CCH is an NGO that acts to investigate and support decisions on the detection, control and management of health issues at the interface of people, animals and our shared environment. Dr. Stephen is a Professor at the University of Calgary in the Department of Ecosystem and Public Health (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine) and Community Health Science (Faculty of Medicine) as well as a clinical professor at the UBC School of Population and Public Health.  His research interests include the environmental determinants of health and the socio-ecology of emerging environmental health hazards.

NOTE: Simultaneous interpretation will be provided for this Fireside Chat.

University of Washington students from across disciplines have come together to create a conference focusing on issues they feel are critical but largely ignored in global health in hopes of bringing a new direction to the global health agenda.

The 9^th Annual Western Regional International Health Conference titled “At a Crossroads: Choosing Hidden Paths in Global Health” will take place on UW campus April 27-29. “We are trying to identify topics in global health that get marginalized and elevate them at our event,” said Colleen Fulp, the graduate student lead organizer of the event.

The keynote speaker is acclaimed human rights advocate and thought leader Kavita Ramdas, the executive director of a newly launched program on social entrepreneurship at Stanford University. Her talk is titled, “Nothing Less than a Revolution: Why I’m Preoccupied with Inequality, Social Justice and Health.”

“Kavita was chosen by students because she is a visionary who believes in grassroots organizing as a way of changing the world,” said Daren Wade, director of the Global Health Resource Center, the networking center within the Department of Global Health. “She addresses topics of women as agents of social change, peace building, and human rights and her work is such a match for the areas in global health our students want to showcase in this conference.”

The conference, co-sponsored by more than two dozen universities and colleges along the West Coast and Canada, is organized around six tracks – global mental health, marginalized populations, organizing and funding of global health, clinical issues in global health, communications and technology in global health, and the environment and global health.  Within these tracks are 18 breakout sessions with some of the top leaders in global health in this region.

More than 25 UW undergraduate and graduate/professional students across disciplines have been organizing this conference.

Three evocative plenary panels covering global health diplomacy, funding and the future of global health; global mental health; and global health and the environment will also be presented. Speakers include Jaime Sepulveda (UC-San Francisco), Timothy Brewer (McGill University), Guy Palmer (Washington State University), Judith Wasserheit (University of Washington), Jurgen Unutzer (University of Washington), Deepa Rao (University of Washington), Paul Bolton (Johns Hopkins University), Benita Beamon (University of Washington), and Lori Hunter (University of Colorado at Boulder).

Sixty abstracts touching on a wide variety of topics were accepted as posters will be displayed per day on Saturday and Sunday.

Among the many breakout sessions, topics include “The Understudy’s Role: Global Health’s Next Challenge;”  “Non-communicable/Chronic Diseases;” “Super Powers in Global Health;” “Trauma and Conflict in Global Health;” “Health Care, A Human Right?” “Utilizing Storytelling and Multi-Media Tools in Global Health;” “The Environment and Food and Water Security;” and “Improving Global Health with New Technology.”

On Saturday evening, the event, “Testify, Demystify, Electrify, Occupy!” will be presented in conjunction with the Global 99 group on campus to address the ways occupy movements have the potential to improve the lives of people on a global scale. A closing session will address how we can move “Beyond Good Intentions” in global health and showcase ways participants can take action in ways that make a difference and consider important ethical concerns.

CO-SPONSORED BY: University of British Columbia, Global Health Initiative, Division of Global Health, Department of Family Practice; University of British Columbia, School of Population and Public Health.

For more information please go to www.wrihc.org.

For a summary of conference outcomes, click here.

Imagine a neighbourhood where all children feel safe, seen, cared for and encouraged to become compassionate,

cooperative and confident. Imagine growing up among neighbours, schools, community centers, businesses, sports and
recreation organizations, health centres, community police, social services, faith organizations and others whose values of kindness, compassion, and respect are the foundation for all relationships.

On Friday, February 17th, you are invited to a dynamic afternoon session educators, business leaders, program and service providers, faith leaders, parents, youth and other community stakeholders will explore how they can best encourage young people to develop as compassionate, confident and cooperative individuals. This event is part of an ongoing appreciative inqui0ry change process within the community that is:

• Community-based and community-wide in scope;
• Inclusive, meaningful and engaging for all who participate;
• Supported by the most highly recognized, current and relevant research and practical knowledge available

Full details can be found on the official event poster.

To register, please contact Eva Aboud by email eva@froghollow.bc.ca or phone 604-251-1225.

On Friday, February 24th at 12:00pm the Neglected Global Diseases Initiative UBC invites you to hear Dr. Keith Martin speak about the work he is doing to bridge the knowledge-action gap in global health.

Dr. Martin explains:

“We have an abundance of knowledge Research findings at UBC and beyond can save millions of lives. Yet, there is a gap. A chasm exists between the knowledge we possess and the needs of communities that need this information. A multidisciplinary approach utilizing a broad range of skills and 21st century communication tools can create the partnerships needed to bridge this gap. New partnerships are developing and UBC is ideally poised to maximize its ability to address the global health challenges before us. This talk will focus on how this can be achieved.”

Dr. Martin is a physician who served as a Canadian Member of Parliament for 17 years. He held shadow ministerial portfolios in foreign affairs, international development, and health. He also served as a Parliamentary Secretary for Defense.

More details for the event can be found here.

The Accessible Science Initiative will be hosting a Lecture Series entitled, “Science without Borders”. The main aim of these lectures is to highlight and increase awareness of scientists in the developing world who have demonstrated high quality research. Scientists will give a presentation about their work, as well as their extensive achievements and the challenges they have encountered in their countries.

The ASI is pleased to introduce the first speaker:

Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim (From South Africa) pro vice-chancellor (Research), University of KwaZulu-Natal; Director of Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa; & Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University.

Monday, November 7 , 2011

Life Science Building, LSC 3

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

These lectures are brought to you thanks to the kind support from the Microbiology and Immunology Dept, The Neglected Global Disease Initiative and the VP-Research Office.

Dr. Andrew Macnab, Pediatrics and Urologic Sciences, UBC with Dr. Shafik Dharamsi, Lead Faculty of the Global Health Network at the Liu Institute for Global Issues and Dr. Arabat Kasangaki from Makerere Faculty of Medicine will hold a colloquium abroad at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, Stellenbosch, South Africa on November 9-11, 2011. Funded by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, this colloquium will bring together experts, and particularly stakeholders from sub-Saharan Africa, to review the lessons learned to date and define the key elements and optimum processes for establishing and sustaining effective Health-Promoting schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. This material will be incorporated into a comprehensive manual that will enable communities to establish, operate, sustain and evaluate health promoting schools.

Health-promoting schools: Evidence, Strategies, Challenges and Prospects
A Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Colloquium Abroad

Children in poor countries and from disadvantaged sections of society experience deficiencies that negatively impact a broad range of health indicators. The call for investment to improve the health of children is almost universal and is encapsulated in the challenge of the current WHO millennium goals. However, where national resources for health are sparse, and massive demands already exist, much can be achieved through health promotion at a community level, particularly through health promoting (HP) schools. Health promoting schools use “a whole-school approach to enhance the health and educational outcomes of children and adolescents through teaching and learning experiences initiated in the schools,” directed towards knowledge and action that enable individuals and communities to increase control over determinants of health (WHO). Importantly such activity is well within the ability of even poor countries, as it focuses on the school and its immediate ethos. However, to benefit both individual children and the larger community such education requires structure, process, and evaluation based on successful HP school models.

This colloquium will bring together experts in the field, and particularly stakeholders from sub-Saharan Africa, to review the lessons learned to date and define the key elements and optimum processes for establishing and sustaining effective HP schools. This material will be incorporated into a comprehensive manual that will enable communities and agencies to establish, operate, sustain and evaluate health promoting schools. A monograph of the papers presented will also be submitted for publication.

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