07Mar 2016 by globemedNU No Comments

Public Health in Tel Aviv

Global Health, International, Public Health
By Jessica Hoffen As a GlobeMed member, I had sat through presentation after presentation on the many study abroad opportunities available, anxiously awaiting my chance to board an airplane and, briefly, wave goodbye to America.  My turn finally came in the spring of 2015 when I landed in Tel Aviv as part of the Public Health and Society in Israel program run by Northwestern and Tel Aviv University.  As a student interested in the impact of culture and conflict on health equity, I hoped that through experiencing this region I would be able to better understand what has worked and failed in implementing health initiatives across ethnic lines. While public health was the focus of my studies in the region I found that what Palestinians and Israelis were most passionate…
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29Apr 2014 by globemedNU No Comments
Vaccines, Herd Immunity, and Disease Re-Emergence – What’s the Deal?

Vaccines, Herd Immunity, and Disease Re-Emergence – What’s the Deal?

Domestic, Global Health, GlobeMed, International, Policy, Public Health
By Michael Zingman We hear about immunizations in the news. We are encouraged to get vaccinated. We hear friends and family talking about how they just “never got vaccinated” for something. We then hear about outbreaks and re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases. So what is causing this re-emergence exactly? Vaccines are one of the most crucial global health resources and are significant tools that can be utilized to protect large populations in both developed and developing nations from disease. Many diseases are vaccine-preventable, meaning if hypothetically everyone were to be vaccinated, the disease would become eradicated. One of such eradicable diseases is measles. Measles was once “eliminated” from the United States; however, recently, there has been extensive media coverage over a measles outbreak within the country. Measles was eliminated but not eradicated because of a slight minority of people…
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07Dec 2012 by globemedNU No Comments

World AIDS Day

Domestic, Foreign Relations, Global Health, International, Public Health, Social Justice
To celebrate World AIDS Day, take a listen to the following inspirational StoryCorps presentation: http://www.npr.org/2012/11/30/166162027/a-lifes-ministry-springs-from-a-dilemma-over-aids For more coverage of the day's events, news, stories, and to get involved, visit http://www.worldaidsday.org/ In the spirit of giving, please consider donating to GlobeMed at Northwestern: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/increase-public-health-and-sanitation-in-uganda/
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20Oct 2011 by globemedNU 2 Comments

Malaria Vaccine Breakthrough: Implications for Global Health?

Global Health, International, Public Health
Malaria, transmitted by infected Anopheles mosquitoes, causes more than 780,000 deaths each year. The deaths occur disproportionately in Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. Conventional malaria prevention methods include insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS). Earlier this week, the results of a Phase III study in 7 African nations showed that RST,S/AS01 (vaccine against P. Falciparum - deadliest of the four malaria types) reduces the risk of severe malaria in children by 47 per cent. The drug is developed by GlaxoSmithKline in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, and funded by the Gates Foundation. It has taken 24 years since the drug development process started to get to this point. What seems to be the world's first malaria vaccine is well under way, with final results expected in…
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24Feb 2011 by globemedNU No Comments

Organization Spotlight: Tiyatien Health

Global Health, GlobeMed, International, Public Health, Social Justice
A worthy organization recently brought to the chapter's attention is Tiyatien Health, a not-for-profit that works to rebuild the failed health system of Liberia.  Liberia is still struggling to recover from a horrific civil war that ended in 2003. Tiyatien Health, headed by the liberian-born doctor Rajesh Panjabi, strives to provide what it terms "justice in health", health equity for all Liberians.  It focuses on providing free medicine and health care to those who need it. Rajesh and all involved place great importance on teaching Liberians how to care for themselves and administer to others in order to create a health system that won't only help those in need, but will sustain itself. Tiyatien also works with the Liberian Government to create a permanent, functioning health system and supports sustainable…
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06Dec 2010 by globemedNU No Comments

A perspective from Paris

Foreign Relations, Global Health, International, Policy, Public Health
In many ways, Paris is not so different from New York, Chicago, or any major city in the United States. There are all the modern amenities, locals are chic and cosmopolitan and pop culture in Europe has largely molded itself around American media. The one thing people tend to point out is that the French tend to take their time to enjoy the ordinary. The lifestyle is slower, whether it’s how long it takes a waiter to bring over a check or the way Parisians linger over three-hour dinners of bread, wine, cheese and espresso even on weekdays. In time, I realized that this way of life reflects the lengthy scope of European history and, in turn, the principles around which many European societies are organized. Unlike the United States,…
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27Sep 2010 by globemedNU No Comments

GROW 2010 Team: Margaret Asante’s thoughts and impressions

Foreign Relations, Global Health, GlobeMed, GROW Trip, H.O.P.E. Center, Ho, Ghana, International, Photography, Public Health
[caption id="attachment_196" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="The members of the GlobeMed at Northwestern GROW 2010 trip with Margaret Asante. Photo courtesy of Reema Ghatnekar / GlobeMed at Northwestern."][/caption] When I received a mail from the outgoing executives of GlobeMed 2009 introducing the next batch of students who will be visiting Hope Center in Ghana in 2010, I was really thrilled and at the same time curious. I wanted to know the caliber of students and how they can fit into our activities at the center like their predecessors. Mails were exchanged and my anxiety heightened by each day. Between 13th June to 25th June Allyson arrived first, followed by Kathleen and Reema, then lastly Joey. Allyson Westling I christened Allyson, “Mother Allyson” due to her humility, wisdom and her approach to work;…
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06Aug 2010 by globemedNU No Comments

A smoggy day in Beijing town: public health in Beijing

Global Health, International, Photography, Public Health
[caption id="attachment_146" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Traditional Chinese herb-picking alongside the Great Wall. Photo courtesy of Chi-chi Uichanco / GlobeMed at Northwestern."][/caption] For the past seven weeks, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to study in the crazy, crowded capital of the most populous country on earth: Beijing, China! The IPD program in Beijing is designed to allow us to witness the lasting impressions of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and learn about the basic public health structures in the country. Meanwhile, this lively, bustling city is our oyster to explore; it’s not too hard to blend in with a population exceeding twenty-two million. The TCM half of the program was …interesting, to say the least. I came into this program with an open mind, excited to learn how other cultures viewed common health…
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29Jul 2010 by globemedNU No Comments

Deepa’s updates from Spain

Global Health, International
[caption id="attachment_138" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="A view from Plaza de Colon in Madrid, Spain. Photo courtesy of Deepa Ramadurai / GlobeMed at Northwestern."][/caption] Over the summer, the GlobeMed Grapevine will also feature updates from GlobeMed members traveling abroad. GlobeMed at Northwestern Director of Individual Giving, Deepa Ramadurai, recently returned from a six week study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain. While in Barcelona, Deepa studied Spanish language, conversation, modern culture and other political issues; Deepa also had the opportunity to briefly visit Madrid, Valencia and Milan while in Europe. The healthcare system in Spain is really interesting. For one of the classes I was taking we had a special unit on immigration within Spain because it has a huge effect on Barcelona (since Barcelona is very much considered a commercial city and…
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