Current Projects

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our first meeting! We hope we can incorporate your ideas as best we can. Below are the projects already up and running.


Pre-Medical Undergraduate Mentoring Program (PUMP)
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/charlesdrewsociety/pump.html
Contact: Kwanza Price, cupump@gmail.com
Signup: Click here

The mission of the Charles Drew Pre-Medical Undergraduate Mentoring Program is to encourage, support, and retain underrepresented minority undergraduates in the pre-med curriculum at Columbia University by providing one-on-one peer mentorship. The program equally seeks to educate and recruit students who may not have considered medicine as a potential career field, or students who know little about what it takes to become a doctor.


HIV Rotation
Website: http://www.centerforcare.org/
Contact: Danielle Beiling, danielle.beiling@gmail.com
Signup: Email Danielle or Erin for application

The Center for Comprehensive Care (St Lukes), Samuels Clinic (Roosevelt) and more recently at the West Village division combined have a patient population of just below 5,000 of New Yorkers affected by HIV. They provide a wealth of health care, mental health, case management services as well as conduct research. The staff at the Saint Luke's clinic have been receptive to postbacc student participation and have helped design this rotation. The purpose of this internship rotation is to examine HIV care in low income communities from a comprehensive public health perspective with an eye towards being future physicians.

The main components include 1) shadowing doctors and assisting in a clinical setting 2) assisting public health research 3) providing assistance in constructing patient education workshops and (possibly) 4) administering satisfaction surveys. The weekly commitment is about 8 hours per week. While the hours are flexible to fit your schedule, once they are set it requires a consistent commitment, regardless of your exam schedule.


Doc to Dock
Website: http://www.doctodock.org/
Contact: Will Spiller, spiller.will@gmail.com
Signup: Click here

Doc to Dock is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that collects unused medical supplies and equipment that would otherwise be sent to landfills or incinerated, and distribute them in developing African nations and Haiti. Will Spiller runs a regular trip to the warehouse in Brooklyn for SJM members on Fridays from 2-5pm, which can be signed up for using the link above.


Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
Website: http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/
Contact: Jesse Thon, jesse.thon@gmail.com; Lauren Mautner, laurenamautner@gmail.com
Signup: Email Jesse and Lauren

Physicians for Human Rights was founded in 1986 on the idea that health professionals, with their specialized skills, ethical duties, and credible voices, are uniquely positioned to investigate the health consequences of human rights violations and work to stop them. PHR mobilizes health professionals to advance health, dignity, and justice and promotes the right to health for all. The Student Program strives to advance health professional students’ understanding and lifelong investment in health and human rights activism, and to cultivate their unique contributions as advocates promoting health and human rights locally, nationally and globally.


The International Health Organization (IHO)
Website: http://groups.google.com/group/IHO-CUMC
Email: Julia Xu, juliaxuz@gmail.com
Signup: At website or email Julia

The International Health Organization is one of the largest and most active student groups in the CUMC community. We raise the profile of global health issues here on campus as well as send as many students abroad as possible in the first, second and fourth years of medical school. IHO hosts speakers, events and monthly seminars to broaden awareness of world health issues, careers in global health, and international experiences for medical students. A special focus is to convince students that global health embraces all medical specialties - from primary care to neurosurgery.


Forum on Global Health and Human Rights (FGHHR)
Website: http://forumonglobalhealthandhumanrights.blogspot.com/
Contact: Julia Xu, juliaxuz@gmail.com; Jesse Thon, jesse.thon@gmail.com

FGHHR is a student-run collaboration between International Health Organization and Physicians for Human Rights. We organize speaker events centered around a different topic each month pertaining to health care and human rights around the world. The topics are chosen by student coordinators, and experts in the topic are invited to come give a lecture or participate in a panel discussion. We also hold activities, such as documentary screenings, to add further depth to our understanding of the topic.

Our theme for this year's series is the impact of recent economic and political change on the health of populations around the world.


The Micro Equity Development Fund (MEDF)
Website: http://themicroequityfund.com/
Contact: Mark Wien, marklwien@gmail.com
Signup: Email Mark

The Micro Equity Development Fund is a for-profit social enterprise that will provide micro-capital to small and medium businesses in developing countries in the form of equity and generate a return for investors while educating and empowering them with the knowledge to make their own informed investment decisions based on their self-determined personal risk profile.

Micro-entrepreneurs and socially-conscious middle-class investors can begin to fill the so-called “missing middle” in developing economies, resulting in more profitable businesses for the poor and the potential to earn a reasonable return for the investor. Today, equity sources of capital are only available to one-billion people, and only those who can afford the fees of Investment Bankers. There is only one-billion people’s worth of ideas that are being capitalized. We plan to help capitalize the other five-billion people who may have ideas.


Disaster Relief
Website:
Contact:
Signup:

Coming soon!


VIDA Trip to Costa Rica and Panama
Website: http://www.vidavolunteer.org/
Contact: Rachelle Meyer, rdm2110@columbia.edu
Signup: Email Rachelle

VIDA is a non-profit humanitarian association based in Costa Rica operating to provide free medical and veterinary assistance to needy communities by connecting volunteers from around the world with hands-on, eye-opening, mind-enriching experiences in the continuous effort to improve the quality of life for others.

Medical volunteers will work under the supervision of licensed host country physicians taking patient histories with the help of translators as needed. Students will take blood pressures, pulse, respiratory rates, listen to lung sounds, do blood sugar tests, quick strip urine tests, physical exams, pregnancy tests, etc. Volunteers will assist in diagnosing and dispensing medications and prescriptions.


Needle Exchange
Website:
Contact: Erin Broderick, eb2693@columbia.edu
Signup: Email Erin

Coming Soon!


Saving Mothers Research Team
Website: http://www.savingmothers.org/
Contact: Coming Soon!

Saving Mothers is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to women's health, education and empowerment. Through training, public health initiatives and research, Saving Mothers aims to provide women and their health care providers with the necessary tools and education to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

HIV Rotation Internship at the CCC

Hello SJMers,

I am recruiting for the HIV Rotation Internship at the St Lukes/Roosevelt/St. Vincents HIV clinic(s). If you are not interested, just disregard this email!

The Center for Comprehensive Care (St Lukes), Samuels Clinic (Roosevelt) and more recently at the West Village division combined have a patient population of just below 5,000 of New Yorkers affected by HIV. They provide a wealth of health care, mental health, case management services as well as conduct research. The staff at the Saint Luke's clinic have been receptive to postbacc student participation and have helped design this rotation. To remind you: the purpose of this internship rotation is to examine HIV care in low income communities from a comprehensive public health perspective with an eye towards being future physicians. We are looking for three postbaccs (at least two of whom should be first-years) to join the program, one or two of whom we hope will become future coordinators. As the year goes on, we hope to have your input as to how we can expand and/or deepen our impact on and experience within the CCC and even the HIV positive population of NYC.

Some logistics of the program:
• The main components include 1) shadowing doctors and assisting in a clinical setting 2) assisting public health research 3) providing assistance in constructing patient education workshops and (possibly) 4) administering satisfaction surveys.
• The weekly commitment is about 6 hours per week. While the hours are flexible to fit your schedule, once they are set it requires a consistent commitment, regardless of your exam schedule. We are extremely excited about the educational opportunities the CCC offers.

At this juncture, the CCC is looking for interns who speak Spanish to participate in their current studies. I would like to ask that you respond to this email with your resume and a paragraph about yourself, specifically why you are interested in this opportunity and what kind of experiences you may have had or skills you bring to the table that make you a good candidate. I also would like to remind you that this a two semester commitment, and that there will be other opportunities to get involved if you are a new postbacc and are worried about overextending yourself first semester or you are not a Spanish speaker. That said, this is a great opportunity to start collecting volunteer hours while doing something truly meaningful.

I know this is a holiday weekend so I'll say by Friday the 9th is when I'd like to have these. The sooner the better, of course.

Thanks again for your interest and ethusiasm, and I look forward to hearing from you!

~Danielle

danielle.beiling@gmail.com

Possible Interesting Postbac Opportunity

Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested.

So as you all know I'm heavily focused/invovled in microfinance and development across the developing world. I spoke at an event a few weeks back and met a doctor who is involved in morbidity/mortality in crisis driven countries. The group, among other things, holds weekly or bimonthly meetings and is going to Haiti in August. If anyone is interested in attending a meeting please let me know which date is best so i can set this up. It would likely involve a discussion on their group and I could provide a background on microfinance and how that is geared at helping to alleviate many of these problems.

Let me know.

Regards,
Mark

marklwien@gmail.com

DO NOT OPEN THE LINK I SENT

Sorry, a virus/hacker got into my email.

Nichole

--
Nichole Young-Lin
917-698-7926
www.savingmothers.org
Facebook: facebook.com/savingmothers
Twitter: twitter.com/savingmothers
YouTube: youtube.com/savingmothers

http://anandatushi.com/home.php

--
Nichole Young-Lin
917-698-7926
www.savingmothers.org
Facebook: facebook.com/savingmothers
Twitter: twitter.com/savingmothers
YouTube: youtube.com/savingmothers

Summer Opportunity to Volunteer in Haiti

Hey SJM,

We’re looking for a group of 5-6 of our fellow post-baccs to join us on a volunteer trip to Haiti. Because of the limited time we have available to volunteer, we have chosen to go through a group called Global Volunteer Network. This group organizes placements for individuals and groups who wish to volunteer in Haiti and other places around the world. Check out their website: http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/haiti/

Here are some details of the trip:

What: A two week volunteer trip to Haiti, based in either Port au Prince or a smaller coastal city called Jacmel. Possible opportunities include clinical work, teaching, construction, working with children, working with displaced people, and community development. The placements are made based on each individual’s skill and the pressing needs at the time, but since we are going as a group, they will make an effort to place us together.

When: August 14^th-September 1^st (Perfect for those taking summer classes!!)

Cost: Application fee $100 (to be paid ASAP in order to reserve a spot)

$997 for the program, which includes accommodations and 3 meals a day (to be paid by June 14^th)

Airfare approximately $350-$400

It's short notice, but because of the time table we are on, we would like to know by next Wednesday, May 19^th if you have serious interest in going. The earlier the better!!

Please contact Sarah Wilkinson: sarahw325@gmail.com if you are interested or have more questions.

THANKS!!!

Sarah, Erin, Kevin

A Walk to Beautiful Movie Screening- This Wed (4/21) from 8-9 pm in Kent 424

Exciting news! This Wednesday, April 21st, in Kent 424 at 8 pm, Saving Mothers will be hosting a movie screening of A Walk to Beautiful, a documentary about Ethiopian women whose lives have been affected by obstetric fistula. Obstetric fistula is a severe medical condition resulting from failed childbirth: a hole develops between the bladder and vagina, causing profound emotional and medical consequences.

The World Health Organization has called fistula "the single most dramatic aftermath of neglected childbirth," and more than two million women in the world suffer from this condition, most of them in areas lacking access to adequate medical care.

Women suffering from this condition become incontinent, leak urine uncontrollably, develop irreparable nerve damage in the feet and legs, and are often forced into shame and social isolation in their communities.

A Walk to Beautiful documents the inspiring lives of five Ethiopian women suffering from obstetric fistula, and their medical journeys to the Addis Ababa Hospital, where they hope to find a cure, a new life, and to reclaim their dignity.

Also, one of the filmmakers will be coming to speak to us at the screening. We hope to see you all there at what promises to be a very informative event!

More information about the documentary can be found at: http://www.walktobeautiful.com/

For those of you unaware, Saving Mothers is a nonprofit aimed at improving women's health in the developing world, founded by recent post-bac graduate and future UCSF 1st year, Nichole Young-Lin.

HIV an Infectious Diseases Among Incarcerated Populations

Hey SJM,

Below is some preliminary info about a FGHHR event (Forum on Global Health and Human Rights) that one of our fellow postbacs, Danielle Beiling, has been coordinating along with a student from the Mailman School of Public Health. More details will follow if you are interested in attending!

April 28^th 3:00 – 5:00pm

Hammer Library at the Columbia Medical Center

The event will consist of a panel of experts who will speak about HIV risks in presently and formerly incarcerated populations. It is not surprising that those within correctional facilities are faced with unique risks in this aspect, but there are special considerations even post-release. The panelists will address these risks associated with these different phases of the individuals' institutionalized trajectory.

Panelists:

Dr. Robert E. Fullilove, EdD is the Associate Dean for Community and Minority Affairs and Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University. He currently co-directs the Community Research Group at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University. He is also the co-director (along with Mindy Thompson Fullilove, MD) of the MPH degree program, Urbanism and the Built Environment in the department of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health. Dr Fullilove has published numerous articles on minority health with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases

Dr. Miguel Muñoz-Laboy, Dr.P.H. is an Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University and the Director of the DrPH program for Sociomedical Sciences. His research has focused on the cultural and structural dimensions of HIV and sexual health-related risks among a number of different ethnic and sexual minority urban populations, including formerly incarcerated Latino men.

Pamela Valera, Ph.D., M.S.W., is a postdoctoral research fellow of the Division of Community Collaboration and Implementation Science, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Valera is a trained community social worker and HIV prevention researcher. Her work has focused on social health inequalities, particularly along the lines of class, gender and culture among non-identified Black men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) and incarcerated populations

Saving Mothers Fundraiser, Thursday, March 11

Dear Columbia Postbacs,

Please join us for a benefit organized by Drops Fill Buckets on behalf of Saving Mothers. The event will take place on Thursday, March 11 from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Gates in New York City. During this time, we will have an open bar with specialty cocktails plus appetizers and entertainment. (The Gates, an elegant lounge, will be closed to the public during this time; you are welcome to stay afterward.). The event will include an auction with items such as a swim date with Michael Phelps, trips to Napa/the Grammys, etc.

For post-bacs, this would be a great way to network with physicians in New York City.

Tickets cost $40 per person in advance and $50 per person at the door. For tickets, please go to: http://www.thegatesnyc.com/charity.asp?eveid=178&proid=100 . We have already sold 140+ tickets but are working hard to reach our goal of 250 tickets sold.

Saving Mothers members who attend this fundraiser will also receive a special gift. To find out how you can become an official Saving Mothers member, please go to: http://www.savingmothers.org/members.php

Drops Fill Buckets is a non-profit organization that fundraises for specific, tangible needs. 100 percent of proceeds from this event will support Saving Mothers and our programs, including procuring much-needed surgical headlamps for obstetric fistula repair and other obstetric and gynecological surgeries.

You can RSVP for the benefit on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=saivng+mothers&init=quick#!/event.php?eid=345334066116&ref=ts) . Please share this with your friends via your social networks and Twitter (our handle is @savingmothers).

If you are unable to attend this event but would still like to donate, please go to: http://www.savingmothers.org/donate.html

We hope to see you at our event!
The Saving Mothers Team

Saving Mothers Research Team at Columbia (SMRT) General Body Meeting this Friday, January 29th, at 7:30 pm EAST RAMP LOUNGE in LERNER

CURRENTLY RECRUITING COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBERS

According to the World Health Organization, a woman dies every minute from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. Ninety-nine percent of maternal and infant deaths occur in the developing world; because the formal health care system is not an option due to money and lack of transport, eighty percent of births are performed at home without the aid of health care professionals. Saving Mothers was founded in 2005 by Columbia University post- baccalaureate student, Nichole Young-Lin. In 2006, it won the UC Berkeley Chancellor's Big Ideas Competition, and received nonprofit 510(c)(3) status in January 2009. A group of Columbia University undergraduate students recently formed the Columbia University Chapter of Saving Mothers. This new SGB student organization aims to increase awareness of issues such as maternal and infant mortality through a number of student-run projects. Through the birthing kit initiative, students will be able to assemble and distribute birthing kits to promote safe, hygienic deliveries. Through the research network, students will have the opportunity to conduct research on women's health and the status of women worldwide. Saving Mothers hopes to spread awareness in the Columbia University community and take action to prevent maternal deaths worldwide.

For more information on Saving Mothers, please visit our website, *www.savingmothers.org*. If you have any questions or are interested in joining our chapter, please email Co-Presidents Christine Yeh and Jennifer Hou at *smrtcolumbia@gmail.com*.

Over $1400 Raised!! Thank you everyone! :)

Hey all,

Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out last night. Thanks to your support, we were able to raise over $1400--all of which will be donated to Doctors Without Borders and Haiti Earthquake Relief this upcoming week.

In return for Crocodile Lounge's amazing hospitality--really, they were so accommodating and generous to help us host this fundraiser--if you had a good time, please leave a kind review for them on Yelp!

Thanks again!

Forum on Global Health and Human Rights presents: One Water movie screening + Director Q&A

6:30pm, Hammer Health Sciences Building Room 401 ***Dinner will be provided. Please RSVP (so we have enough food) to: fwc2109@columbia.edu***

Please join us to watch the documentary One Water and meet with the director for a Q&A. Directed by Professor Sanjeev Chatterjee, One Water has received numerous awards and was screened at the 2004 and 2005 U.N. conferences. Onewaterthemovie.org

Film Description:

Water is essential to existence. Our bodies require it, as do our souls. It is the stuff of life and death, of sweat and tears, of need and wonder. Water bubbles through our imaginations, splashes through our forms of play and winds through the tributaries of human spirituality. Yet, as precious as we know water is, we have treated it as if it were infinite and cheap, which has led to an international crisis of epic proportions.

Filmed in 15 countries in both hemispheres, One Water highlights a world where water is exquisitely abundant in some places and dangerously lacking in others. It celebrates all the myriad ways water has touched human lives around the globe and leaves audiences with a fundamental question: is water a human right or a commodity? Through a starkly emotional journey, spectators are invited to bear witness and encouraged to recognize this major global crisis as their very own, watching scenes from all over the world reveal how water is inspiring innovation, compassion and hope.

An earlier short version of the film won two awards at the Broadcast Education Association and has been screened at a special United Nations conferences in 2004 and 2005 as well as a special jury award at the World Water Forum in Mexico City in 2006. One Water is the recipient of the Best Environmental Feature award from the Artivist Film Festival, 2008, Best Documentary Cinambiente 2008, Turin, Italy and Best Documentary at the Foyle Film Festival 2008, Derry, Ireland. An international television version of the film was completed in 2009 for which Chatterjee wrote a new script narrated by actor Martin Sheen.

Biography:

Professor Sanjeev Chatterjee is producer, co-director and writer of One Water. He has taught classes in studio and field production, media and society, writing and documentary production at the University of Miami. In 2007, Chatterjee was honored with the Images and Voices of Hope World Summit Award of Appreciation for his documentary work. He has been on the faculty of the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change, 2008 and 2009.

Prof. Chatterjee's earlier documentary work explores issues of identity among people in the Indian diaspora. In 1999-2000, Professor Chatterjee was commissioned by the National Geographic Channel to produce television reports about environment and culture in India. Professor Chatterjee has also served on the advisory board for the Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy since its inception in 2003. Professor Chatterjee is also serves on the advisory boards of CINE, School of Convergence (New Delhi) and the Coral Gables Cinematheque.

Professor Chatterjee earned his M.A, in English Literature from Delhi University and his M.F.A. in Television Production from Brooklyn College. He lives in Miami with his wife Sumita, who is a historian, and their children Abhivav and Uma.

Drink Specials for Haiti Earthquake Relief

Hey everyone,

As you're all aware by now, just days ago Haiti was struck by a devastating 7.0 earthquake.

Come out to Crocodile Lounge next Saturday night (January 23rd) to show your support. A voluntary $10 at the door gets you a bracelet for the following drink specials all night:

$3 Yuenglings
$4 Blue Moons
$1 off all well drinks

All proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders on behalf of Columbia's postbac student body groups: Social Justice Medicine & the Postbac Premedical Association. Bring your friends!

The Forum on Global Health and Human Rights Presents: WaterAid.

Come hear Dr. David Winder, acting CEO of WaterAid, discuss this organization's role in providing access to safe water worldwide.

When: Wednesday, January 13th. 6:30pm.

Where: Hammer 301.

Dinner provided by IHO & PHR.
RSVP to pl2148@columbia.edu

"WaterAid works in 17 countries providing water, sanitation and hygiene education to some of the world's poorest people."