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!