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."

For SJM: Infectious Disease

Dear IHO,

We're finally ready to launch ID Rounds starting this week! Please sign up online here:

http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=idroundssignup

Passcode: IDrounds

This is your chance to shadow Infectious Disease physicians, see interesting cases, and learn what specializing in Infectious Disease is all about. Each session starts around 1:30pm and lasts about 2 hours.

Please only sign-up for one session since they are limited in number and only 2 students can attend each time. You will received more specific instructions via email as your shadowing date approaches.

You all get first dibs before we send this out to the classes. Feel free to email me if you guys have any questions!

Jennifer Heinen
IHO ID Rounds Coordinator
jah2190@columbia.edu

Mentors Needed for High School Premed

We are looking for mentors for the Charles Drew High School Pipeline Program.

The Pipeline program pairs a Columbia University pre-medical student with a high school student who is interested in becoming a pre-med student. Mentors build strong relationships with their mentees, offer guidance, ...and provide support as their mentee completest the college admissions process.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail to cu.pipeline@gmail.com and we will send you an application ASAP!

If you already have a mentee, but have lost contact with him or her, please contact either Johanna Miele, Pipeline Co-Chair, at jcm2179@columbia.edu or Brittany Martin, Pipeline Co-Chair, at bam2155@columbia.edu.

CU Alternative Spring Break Trip to Costa Rica with the not-for-profit organization VIDA!

Are you a pre-medical, pre-veterinary, pre-dental, pre-nursing, medical, dental or nursing student at Columbia University? Do you want to spend 9 days in Costa Rica over Spring break learning more about the profession you are interested in and getting lots of hands-on experience while helping communities in need and exploring Costa Rica? If your answer is yes, then look no further. This is the program for you!

Welcome to VIDA, an exciting not-for-profit humanitarian volunteer program that offers hands–on, eye-opening and mind-enriching international volunteer experiences to students of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. We offer unparalleled volunteer experiences for those who want to learn about medicine, discover new cultures and share with those less fortunate while providing free health services to improve the quality of life of impoverished people and of animals in Central America.

Join us for an alternative spring break trip you will never forget! We will be visiting Cartago and Turrialba, where we will set up clinics in various establishments such as schools and churches. The trip will take place from March 13th to March 21st, 2010. The cost of the trip, excluding airfare and the application fee of $100, is $1,395. This price includes ground transportation, airport pick up/drop off, lodging, bilingual health professionals, guides, interpreters, supplies/materials for clinics, most meals and tours.

This trip is also open to students who are still undecided but are leaning toward a certain medical profession or to anyone who just wants to help make a difference. You are not expected to have had any medical experience or to have taken any science classes prior to the trip. NOTE: Students on the veterinary team who wish to participate in surgery at the spay/neuter clinics will need to have observed 25 hours of small-animal surgery at a local animal clinic prior to the trip.

IMPORTANT DEADLINE: The deadline to submit an application for this trip is December 14, 2009. Please go to https://secure.puertoviejosatellite.com/vida/application.php

and select "CR031310: Columbia University Mar 13/10 - Mar 21/10". The application fee of $100.00 is due along with your application. Please go to http://vidavolunteertravel.org/payment.php#paynow

to submit the payment online.

Questions or concerns? Please do not hesitate to contact Rachelle at rdm2110@columbia.edu or rachelle@vidavolunteertravel.org.

For more information:

Please look at the Facebook event page

for this trip to learn more. If you log into your facebook account and view the page you will be to see pictures from a previous VIDA trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Please also visit VIDA's website

and VIDA's YouTube Channel which has videos about the VIDA trip to Costa Rica

, the dental clinic

, the medical clinic

and a sloth sanctuary

that we will most likely visit.