Two UNMC organizations that focus on international relations and health – International Studies & Programs and Student Alliance for Global Health – will host the Midwest’s first global health conference. The conference, titled, “Bridging Health Divides: Engaging in Global Health at Home and Abroad,” will be Sept. 9-11, at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St., in Omaha.
The Midwest, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The target audience of the conference is medical and health students throughout this region, although announcements are circulated nationwide and there are no restrictions on attendance.
Nationwide, one- and two-day global health conferences are held annually in locations that have a high concentration of medical institutions, such as New York City, New England, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area. The Southeast region hosts a similar conference every two years.
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Sara Pirtle |
“The time is right to host our own conference and it’s another opportunity to showcase UNMC as a world-class medical institution. We can prove to participants that they don’t have to cross the nation to obtain information and expertise that is now right in our own backyard.”
The conference will kick off on Friday, Sept. 9 with a reception and entertainment. Saturday and Sunday will feature workshop and keynote speakers, panels, films and poster presentations on global health issues and advanced educational opportunities. Topics for breakout sessions will include taking a year off from medical school, incorporating global health into your career, cultural competence, medical Spanish options, elective selection and preparation, wilderness and tropical medicine, and immigrant and minority health issues, pursuing an MD/MPH degree, Doctors Without Borders, Unite For Sight, and travel and international health.
Featured guest speakers, who will address the entire conference, include:
- Jeff Colyer, M.D., International Medical Corps, “A Physician’s Personal Experiences with Disaster and Conflict;”
- Lanny Smith, M.D., Doctors for Global Health, “Hope and Challenges through Liberation Medicine: Addressing Today’s Nine One Ones;”
- David Zakus, M.D., director, Centre for International Health at University of Toronto, “Fostering Peace through Health;”
- Keith Brown, M.D., medical director, Belize Institute for Tropical and Wilderness Medicine, “Realities of Expedition and Remote Medicine;” and
- LCDR Thomas Pryor, M.D., U.S.P.H.S, Mercy Ship, “Hope in Tsunami-ravaged Indonesia: Providing Health Diplomacy through ‘Joint Interoperability.’ “
A number of UNMC faculty and students will make presentations during breakout sessions. They include Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean for graduate studies; Sheila Ryan, Ph.D., professor, CON Parent-Child; Kristine McVea, M.D., associate professor, Family Medicine; Valda Boyd Ford, RN, MPH, director, Community and Multicultural Affairs; Alfredo Garcia, M.D., MPH, co-coordinator, UNMC Medical Spanish/International Health Courses in Guatemala; Marvin Bittner, M.D., adjunct associate professor/clinician, Internal Medicine; Shingairai Feresu, Ph.D., associate professor, Preventive and Societal Medicine; Polly Hulme, Ph.D., associate professor, CON-Gerontology, Psychosociology and Community Health; Valdeen Nelsen, MPA, coordinator, Public Health Education, Preventive and Societal Medicine; and medical students Rogelio Machuca (M-2), Kylie Smith (M-2), Joanna Quigley (M-3), Chandra Ljunggren (M-3) and Greg Peters (M-3).
“The whole idea of this kind of conference is to address relevant global health issues at home and abroad, as well as trends and new developments in global health,” Pirtle said. “This is a forum to network with individuals who are passionate about global health, who can help others develop pathways to global health experiences and careers. It is important, especially for students, to get basic information about choosing and arranging global health electives in their curriculum planning as early as possible.”
Full conference details, including schedule, registration, and lodging details can be found at http://www.unmc.edu/isp or contact Pirtle at 402-559-2924.