Newsletter, October 2009

Please read on to find out some of what's been happening with SJM over the last month!


Physicians for Human Rights & Forum on Global Health and Human Rights News:

Physicians for Human Rights started the year off teaming up with Columbia University Harm Reduction Outreach Network (CUHRON) with a postcard-signing campaign advocating to lift the needle-exchange ban. Then on October 1, Dr. Joanne Csete came to speak to us about her work on HIV/AIDS in Africa and how illicit drug use is an often neglected mode of transmission that needs to be further addressed in public health. This was the first event in a monthly series known as the Forum on Global Health and Human Rights (FGHHR). Following our introductory meeting, FGHHR has set its schedule for the year which includes topics such as overpopulation and post-conflict development. In addition, PHR is in the process of setting up events on lethal injection with Dr. Mark Heath, an informal discussion with Dr. Robert Deckelbaum on his work in areas of conflict, and finally a conference on reproductive rights with Mailman's Sexual Health Advocacy Group (SHAG). If you are interested in getting involved with any of these upcoming activities, please let Sara (srv2109) or Floria (fwc2109) know.



HIV Rotation News:

The Center for Comprehensive Care at St. Luke's Hospital welcomed three new postbaccs this month, who are gearing up to begin work on two research projects as well as begin shadowing physicians in the clinic. For more information about the clinic, please visit the website: http://www.centerforcare.org/


Doc to Dock News:

Thanks to Erin, Rachel, and Will for volunteering their help over the last several weeks at the Doc to Dock warehouse! Earlier in the month, Doc to Dock founder Dr. Bruce Charash was interviewed for the nationally-syndicated show WorldFocus. The segment aired on October 15 on national television. Additionally, Doc to Dock has just recently begun a collection relationship with the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia Presbyterian.

Saving Mothers

Hey everyone,

If you were at the kick off meeting for SJM about a month ago, you'll remember me mentioning Saving Mothers, an initiative that was organized by Nichole Young-Lin, a postbac who just graduated last year. Nichole left an undergraduate body at Columbia to work with Saving Mothers when she finished the postbac, however the postbacs she left in charge unfortunately fell through due to other commitments.

Keely, a first year postbac, has recently been coordinating with Nichole to resume participation by postbac students at Columbia. If this is a project that sounds interesting to you that you'd like to participate in, please email Keely at kcb2126@columbia.edu.

You can read about Saving Mothers at their website here or at the link at right:
http://savingmothers.org/mission.html

Maternal Health Outcomes in Tibet

Improving Maternal Health Outcomes in Tibet with Dr. Kunchok Gyaltsen

Dr. Gyaltsen is a Tibetan medical doctor, Buddhist monk, and leader
in Tibetan rural development. He will present his work on maternal
health and education in Tibet. Dr. Gyaltsen has worked on public
health initiatives within Tibet through NGOs and the Chinese
government. Dr. Gyaltsen is currently a PhD candidate at the UCLA
School of Public Health.

Monday, October 26 10:30 am - noon Refreshments provided

Hess Commons

Rosenfield Building, 722 W 168th St

Sponsored by Department of Epidemiology & CUPID

Volunteering with Doc to Dock

For those of you who couldn't make the first SJM meeting, here is a short video on Doc to Dock, a non-profit under the Clinton Global Initiative aimed at redirecting medical supplies that would otherwise be wasted to clinics in Africa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOoxU4oQPxI

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in getting involved in, I've set up several tentative dates to visit and volunteer at the warehouse at the following link (which incidentally can also always be found in the side bar on the right). If you'd like to sign up for a trip, just click the link, find a day you'd like to go and enter your name and email. As the date approaches, you'll get a reminder email that will also address the logistics on getting there.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p5gqwk2rQnAapQt8XD1jfcA&hl=en

The dates and times that we go are always flexible, but there are only Friday dates from 2-5pm for now because of my personal schedule. If you'd be interested in arranging a separate trip, just let me know.

On that note, I'm looking for someone to share the responsibility of regularly organizing trips to Doc to Dock with me. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please write me!

Thanks,
Kevin

Forum on Global Health and Human Rights (FGHHR) Introductory Meeting next Tuesday

FGHHR is a student-run program that seeks to bring various fields together to discuss topics on global health and human rights.

Please come if you are interested in being involved in planning this year's forum. We also need your input so start thinking of ideas for possible forum topics and events you'd like to see! For example, past topics have included the ethics of global health education, water as a human right vs. a commodity, maternal mortality in developing countries, hunger and the global food crisis, environmental health and justice, and the dynamics of donor funding.

Tuesday, October 6 from 7:00pm - 8:00pm
RSVP to fwc2109@columbia.edu with "FGHHR Meeting" in the subject line by this Friday. We will inform you of the location thereafter.

Thanks!
Floria, Peter & Sara