Tues, Dec. 2nd: Presentation on Healthcare Issues in Haiti

Social Justice Medicine is pleased to announce that on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd, Dr. Stan Schaffer will give a presentation, "Childbirth in a Haitian Village - should where you live determine whether you live?"

Bio:
Stan Shaffer MD MTS
Neonatologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and E. Grey Dimond Program in International Medicine. A founder of Maison de Naissance, a birthing home in rural Haiti which is exploring social and medical solutions to high maternal and infant mortality. Columbia students are assisting with house calls, GPS mapping, a census, and development of a Health Atlas for Maison de Naissance. Plans are being developed for an associated project in the Dominican Republic.

We invite you to attend this exciting presentation on Dec. 2, 2008
between 12:30-1:30pm in room 652 Schermerhorn. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Andrea Palestro, via email at amp2152@columbia.edu.

Birthing Kit Assembly Party

Come help assemble birthing kits this Monday! We are going to assemble the birthing kits for Sierra Leone and Liberia at Mount Sinai Medical Center. However, if you are on campus, we are going as a group from campus.
What: Birthing Kit Assembly Party
Date: Monday, November 10th
Time: We are meeting as a group on campus at 6:00 or you can meet us at 7 pm.
Where: Meeting spot is Columbia's West Gate at 116th and Broadway
You can also meet us at Mount Sinai Medical Center's Klingenstein Pavilion - 1176 Fifth Ave 9th floor

Please let me know if you can come so we provide enough food and drinks!

Bar Night Fundraiser!!!!!!!!

You are invited to the Saving Mothers Research Team Bar Night Fundraiser/Mixer to benefit our Sierra Leone/Liberia birthing kit project. This is a great chance for you to enjoy a few drinks while supporting a great cause. This is also a fabulous opportunity to meet and mingle with doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center since this is concurrently their faculty and staff mixer.

100% of your donation will go towards the Sierra Leone/Liberia birthing kit project. This November, we will be distributing clean delivery kits to women in rural areas of these countries to promote cleaner births and reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. For more information and/or if you'd like to make a separate donation online, please visit: www.savingmothers.org

Invite your friends and come mingle with your classmates!!!!
Friday, November 7^th, 2008
The Copper Door Tavern
272 Third Ave (between 21^st and 22^nd Streets)
Your $25 donation covers open bar from 9-10 PM
And half-priced drinks from 10 PM -12 AM
There will be a raffle for prizes such as Met's game tickets and more!

Journal Club Presenation -- Friday, 5:30pm

Kwanza Price, First Year Pre-med, will give first Journal Club article presentation about ethnic disparties in online cancer groups, this Friday at 5:30pm at TC. Discussion to follow.

Location Details: Gottesman Libraries at Teachers College, Columbia University, Room 202 (2nd Floor Russell Hall) (Building behind Pupin across the street).

Download article at: http://www.nmanet.org/images/uploads/Publications/OC705.pdf

Contact for More Info or Directions: Kwanza Price, kop2101

All welcome

Mission of PMA Social Justice Journal Club:
to increase awareness about health disparities for better treatment outcomes and engage with vulnerable patient populations.

P&S Global Health Forum Tuesday October 21st

Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons has a great series of forums on global health issues and we're invited:

The 2nd annual Forum on Global Health & Human Rights--a CUMC-student driven initiative to discuss pressing topics in global health and human rights as they relate to health, access to care, and policy--kicks off on Tuesday, October 21 at 6:30 pm in Hammer 404!

The topic will be Hunger, Malnutrition, and the Global Food Crisis and the event includes a thought-provoking activity and group discussion.

Dinner will be served, so please RSVP to crf2101@columbia.edu so we can get enough food.

We look forward to seeing you there!

See the new blog of the Forum on Global Health and Human Rights: http://forumonglobalhealthandhumanrights.blogspot.com/

-Alex Svoronos & Cristina Fernandez

Alexandra Svoronos

Class of 2011

College of Physicians and Surgeons

Columbia University

Journal Club Update: Dr. Grann Speaks this Friday

For this Friday (10/17):

Instead of presenting the article on disparities in online cancer support groups, Dr. VICTOR R. GRANN, MD (Professor of Epidemiology and Health Policy and Management at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Professor of Medicine at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, Director of Research Recruitment and Minority Outreach of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center) has agreed to come and talk about his research about disparities in cancer and treatment.

Dr. Grann was recently featured on Columbia's homepage for a study he conducted which found a strong association between the prevalance of Low White Blood Count and Women of African Descent -- "Strong Association Found Between Prevalence of Low White Blood Count and Women of African Descent" (see story link at http://www.mailmanschool.org/news/display.asp?id=676)

The location for the presentation by Dr. Grann is in Russel Library, Room 306 at Teacher's College (behind Pupin across the street).
Meeting starts at 1PM that Friday.


For Friday, 10/24
Kwanza will give my article presentation on disparities in online cancer support groups.

My presentation will be at 5:30pm in Russel Library, Room 309 at Teacher's College (behind Pupin, down the stairs, across the street)

New SJM Journal Club Focusing on Medical Disparities

SJM Journal Club Upcoming Meeting

Date: Friday, October 17 tentative
Time: 1PM
Location: Teacher's College Library (more details later).

Presentation will be on Disparities Among African Americans and Online Cancer Community Support Groups Usage. Presentation to be given by Kwanza Price (first year postbac).

Follow the link to the first article: Ethnic Disparities in Online Cancer Support Groups (PDF).

As well as:
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/98/7/1314

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/98/Supplement_1/S185

The meeting format will consist of an an journal article presentation followed by discussion. Invited guest and possible community site visits are in the works in coming weeks!

If you are interested in joining us at the first meeting, please RSVP to Kwanza Price, Journal Club organizer, at kop2101@columbia.edu. Keep an eye out for updates on meeting location as the date nears!

SJM and PMA Present a Clothing Swap Fundraiser to Benefit Maison de Naissance

$10 for a new fall wardrobe! Clean out those closets and get ready to
have a blast while helping those in need!

The Postbacc Premedical Association and Social Justice Medicine Club
are pleased to co-sponsor a clothing swap fundraiser.

How does it work? You pay $10 to take as many new-to-you clothes and
accessories as you want. If you bring clothes to swap, you only pay
$5.00. It is free to bring clothes and/or enjoy a coffee break while
learning about healthcare in Haiti. The event is open to both men and
women, and there are already lots of cool clothes that have been
donated!

Who benefits? Maison de Naissance (http://www.maisondenaissance.com/)
is a medical clinic in rural Haiti. The clinic and surrounding
village have been hit by several hurricanes over the last few months.
The building has even been hit by lightning, yet still continues to
provide medical care 24 hours a day, often without electricity. 100%
of your tax-deductible monetary donation goes to the clinic.

Also, many of the clothes that remain at the end of event will be
donated to St. Luke's Hospital for patients needing clothes to wear
home after being released. The remainder of the items will be given
to the Salvation Army.

When? This coming Wednesday, October 8th from 3pm-6pm.

Where? The ramps in Lerner Hall.

Bet you never looked so fab while doing a little good for the world!

If you have any questions or would like to donate time or money,
please contact Andrea Palestro <amp2152@columbia.edu>

We look forward to seeing you there!

--
Social Justice Medicine
School of General Studies
Columbia University
http://www.columbiasjm.blogspot.com/

"Standard Operating Procedure" Screening Next Monday at Columbia P&S

Campaign Against Torture

National Day of Awareness:
Monday, October 6th.

Is it possible for a photograph to change the world?

Twelve photographs from Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison changed the war in Iraq and changed America's image of itself. And yet, a central question remains. Did the notorious Abu Ghraib photographs constitute evidence of systematic torture and abuse by the American military, or were they documenting the aberrant behavior of a few "bad apples"?

In STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE, documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (THE FOG OF WAR, THE THIN BLUE LINE) examines the context of these photographs. Why were they taken? What was happening outside the frame? Morris talks directly to the soldiers who took the photographs and who were in the photographs.

Physicians for Human Rights is partnering with Participant Media to host a national day of awareness through the country-wide campus screening of STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. Afterwards will be a post-film live webcasted interview with the film creator Errol Morris and PHR's lead author of the landmark report "Broken Laws, Broken Lives," Farnoosh Hashemian.


At CUMC, the film will be shown in Hammer 401 from 7-9pm, followed by the webcasted interview from 9-9:40. Please come earlier for food and beverages before the film starts.

Please RSVP at www.SOPScreening.org.

Watch the preview


--
Social Justice Medicine
School of General Studies
Columbia University
http://www.columbiasjm.blogspot.com/

Upcoming Projects for '08-'09

As discussed at our first meeting and then some:

SAVING MOTHERS

Saving Mothers Research Team is an organization dedicated to reducing maternal and neonatal deaths in developing countries. You can make a difference! This semester, help us distribute clean birthing kits for home births in Sierra Leone, which has the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Or, if you are traveling abroad, join our research network to increase access to a lifesaving drug.

For more information, check out our website at www.savingmothers.org. To get involved, email nyy3@columbia.edu.

MAISON DE NAISSANCE

Maison de Naissance is primarily a birthing-center. MN also provides family planning services, immunizations for children, helps to treat malaria cases, as well as home visits to assure the general health of the neighboring families. In March 2008, a group of 8 postbacc students went on a volunteer trip to work at Maison de Naissance, a rural healthcare clinic in Les Cayes, Haiti. Prior to going, SJM hosted a fundraiser and office-supply drive.

For the 2008-2009 school year, SJM would like to continue its involvement with Maison de Naissance. We have several goals this school year: hosting fundraisers to support the clinic, (check the calendar for more information about the upcoming Clothing-Swap); raising awareness of the social, political, and economic challenges facing Haiti through lectures. We are also exploring the possibility of taking another trip in 2009.

Anyone interested in getting involved can email columbiasjm@gmail.com with "Haiti" in the subject line.

HIV & POVERTY ROTATION
The HIV & Poverty Rotation Program is currently in the nascent stages. The program's goals is to make explicit the deep connections between health and socioeconomic conditions particularly as it concerns HIV infection here in New York City.

The program will consist of two phases: 1) a shadowing rotation through several clinics and community based organizations that serve New Yorkers living with HIV and 2) a longer term project working with one of the aforementioned organizations.

Anyone interested in getting involved can email columbiasjm@gmail.com with "HIV Rotation" in the subject line.

How to Get Involved with Doc to Dock

Last Friday at Doc to Dock went really well and was a lot of fun. We helped sort and organize medical supplies and load the supplies onto wooden pallets for shipping. The people at Doc to Dock were super friendly and very grateful.

In order to ensure that we are consistent with our continuing commitment to Doc to Dock, we have created a Google Doc that will act as our doc to dock sign up sheet.

If you'd like to participate:

1) Click on the link above (or on the sidebar)
2) Sign up (with your name and email) for dates that you can COMMIT to going to Doc to Dock. If you sign your name we will be counting on you to attend.
3) Feel free to sign up for more than one day, but don't get greedy. Space is limited to a total of 10 people per session.

Directions to Doc to Dock:
(2,3,4,5,N,M,R,Q,D) to the Atlantic/Pacific station; R/M at the Union St
Subway Map


View Larger Map

Questions? Contact Kevin at kevinpaik@gmail.com

Thanks!!

Hurricane Update from Haiti

Dear Friends of Maison de Naissance,

The HM-HB office in Kansas City has been receiving updates on the current situation at Maison de Naissance. In spite of the torrential rains and flooding throughout the country, the staff continues to report to duty and be prepared to do what they are known best for -- welcoming healthy mothers and healthy babies into this vast world.

After much discussion, HM-HB has created an Emergency Relief Fund. For more information about this, please go directly to www.maisondenaissance.org.

In the mean time, please keep our staff, patients, their families and the people of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers. The water will eventually flow back into the ocean and seep deep into the earth. Haiti, however will be left waist deep in mud, with even fewer functioning water pumps and just raw, bare soil. Naked. Just like a newborn child. And, this is going to be when Haiti needs a hand up even more than ever.

With Hope,
Tina

HM-HB Administrative Coordinator
816.812.7100
Tina@hm-hb.org

Malnutrition Symposium

Doctors Without Borders & The Institute for Human Nutrition at P&S have jointly organized a symposium on childhood malnutrition. The symposium is taking place around the Columbia campus September 11-12.

Starved for Attention
The neglected crisis of Childhood Malnutrition

Today's Agenda
Multimedia: videos & slideshows