Global Pulse Blog

Sustainable Connections & Collaborations for Health & Human Rights

A joint conference of:

The 2nd annual University of Michigan Sujal Parikh Memorial Symposium for Health & Social Justice

and

The Physicians for Human Rights National Conference

March 24^th to 25^th, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Featuring keynote speakers Drs. Arash and Kamiar Alaei, Iranian physicians and brothers imprisoned for over two years for their work on fighting HIV/AIDS. Learn more at http://iranfreethedocs.org/.

Program and confirmed speakers available here.

Sustainable Connections & Collaborations:

Sujal Parikh was a University of Michigan medical student and NIH Fogarty Scholar who held leadership positions on the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) Student Advisory Board, as well as in AMSA, GHEC, UAEM, UM Center for Global Health, and UVP.  A passionate believer in the collective power of committed individuals to advance health and social justice, Sujal leveraged his networks within these organizations to make each of them stronger.  Sujal’s unique gift for bringing people together in pursuit of common goals inspired the theme for this year’s joint conference.  Learn more about Sujal here.

The Sujal Parikh Memorial Symposium:

The Sujal Parikh Memorial Symposium on Health and Social Justice began as a collaborative effort among friends, colleagues, and representatives of the numerous global health organizations to which Sujal contributed. The 2011 symposium, The Social (Justice) Network, brought together diverse students and professionals to learn from one another, create lasting connections, and generate new ideas for the advancement of health and social justice. Together, we established a community committed to carrying on Sujal’s work and ensuring that his spirit continues to inspire a better world. More information on the 2011 symposium is available here.

The Physicians for Human Rights National Conference:

PHR is an independent organization that uses the integrity of medicine and science to stop mass atrocities and severe human rights violations against individuals.  The organization was founded in 1986 on the idea that health professionals, with their specialized skills, ethical duties, and credible voices, are uniquely positioned to protect human rights.  PHR uses its investigations and expertise to advocate for the:

• Prevention of individual or small scale acts of violence from becoming mass atrocities
• Protection of internationally-guaranteed rights of individuals and civilian populations
• Prosecution of those who violate human rights

PHR’s National Student Program provides health professional students with opportunities to learn about, advocate for, and develop leadership in the field of human rights.  Information about PHR’s 2011 National Conference is available here.

We are honored to be sponsored and hosted by the University of Michigan Center for Global Health, the U of M Medical School, the U of M Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the U of M School of Public Health, and Global REACH, and to be supported by the Michigan Student Assembly.

In response to a 2010 World Health Organization report Working to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases, this week, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, 13 pharmaceutical companies, the governments of the U.S., U.K. and U.A.E. and other global organizations committed to a new, coordinated effort to advance progress towards controlling 10 neglected tropical diseases by the end of the decade and improve the lives of the 1.4 billion affected by such diseases globally. Guiding this effort, the World Health Organization released targets and a strategy, Accelerating work to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases—A roadmap for implementation.

These neglected tropical diseases include:

• lymphatic filariasis
• blinding trachoma
• sleeping sickness
• leprosy
• soil-transmitted helminthes
• schistosomiasis
• river blindness
• Chagas disease
• visceral leishmaniasis
• guinea worm

Check out the related webcast and infographic

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Global Fund to Finght AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This short film by Adrian Steirn presents the story of the Global Fund’s work to collaborate with key international figures in the first ten years of its fight against these global pandemics.

According to the Executive Director of the Global Fund Michel Kazatchkine:

“The story about the Global Fund is a story about how the world could actually come together and turn a hopeless situation into one of promise. This amazing film tells that story through the words of some of the people who were crucial in making this dramatic turnaround. It is fantastic to be reminded of how terrible the future looked for global health ten years ago, and how far we have come.”

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently renewed its commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, giving $750 million through a promissory note. This innovative funding method gives the Global Fund the flexibility and authority to distribute funds efficiently based on immediate needs, leading to greater impact.

In October of 2010, Sujal Parikh, an associate editor-in-chief of the Global Pulse, medical student at the University of Michigan, and Fogarty Scholar in Uganda passed away unexpectedly. His colleagues at the University of Michigan organized a global health symposium in his honor, as global health was a major interest for Sujal. An announcement for the second symposium in his honor follows.

SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIONS & COLLABORATIONS FOR HEALTH & HUMAN RIGHTS

A joint conference of:
The 2nd Annual University of Michigan Sujal Parikh Memorial Symposium for Health & Social Justice
and
The Physicians for Human Rights National Conference

This conference serves as an opportunity to connect students, researchers, and professionals in a variety of fields, ranging from law, health professional, business, to public policy and beyond. The goal is to bring together a diverse audience to share, learn, and foster lasting collaborations among the variety of sectors that are working to further the health of populations globally and locally through the defense of equity and human rights.

Featuring keynote speakers:

Drs. Arash and Kamiar Alaei

Iranian doctors, and brothers, imprisoned for over two years for their work on fighting HIV/AIDS.

Additional presentation topics include:

Climate Change and Health

Youth Violence

Human Trafficking

Global Health Supply Chain Management

Social Entrepreneurship

and more…

March 24-25th, 2012
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
University of Michigan School of Public Health
Ann Arbor, Michigan

For Information, participant registration, and abstract submission: www.sujalsymposium.org

For more information about the keynote speakers: www.iranfreethedocs.org

ABSTRACTS DUE FEBRUARY 15TH, 2012

Themes of interested for abstracts include:

Global health and/or human rights education initiatives

Innovative programs to promote equity

Health of vulnerable/underserved populations

Effective advocacy campaigns targeted at promoting health as a human right

Interdisciplinary models of collaboration to promote social justice

Please contact Lesley Everett (lesleyae@med.umich.edu) with any questions or for further information about the event.

USAID has released its new Climate Change and Development Strategy for 2012-2016, a strategic framework for approaching the barriers and opportunities presented by global climate change. The strategy strives to “enable countries to accelerate their transition to climate resilient, low emissions development to promote sustainable economic growth.”

3 strategic objectives are incorporated in USAID’s strategy:

1. Enhance the transition to low emission development via investments in clean energy and sustainable landscapes for climate change mitigation;
2. Grow resilience of people, places, and livelihoods through investments in climate change adaptation; and
3. Strengthen development outcomes through the integration of climate change in USAID programming, learning, policy dialogues, and operations.

“…the threat from climate change is serious, it is urgent, and it is growing. Our generation’s response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it—boldly, swiftly, and together—we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.”

President Obama, United Nations Summit on Climate Change, September 22, 2009

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Globally, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in females and the most common cause of cancer deaths in women in the developing world, affecting over 500,000 women and killing more than 250,000 women each year. Fortunately, many are striving to improve these grim statistics.

For example, JHPIEGO is working to protect women and girls with strategies like HPV vaccination and improved screening.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, lead by Dr. Carrie Kovarik, are using innovative techniques like mobile phone based telemedicine to improve screening for cervical cancer in resource-challenged countries.

The Global Initiative against HPV and Cervical Cancer also has several programs to fight against cervical cancer including education, strengthening HPV vaccination programs and improving screening and treatment programs for cervical cancer.

What other innovative programs are you aware of to fight this deadly disease? What approaches do you think will be most successful at eradicating cervical cancer globally?

Kaiser Family Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is holding a briefing on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 9:30am at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center in Washington, D.C. to explore HHS’ role in global health and the emerging global health strategy. The event will explore the goals of the new strategy and the ways in which it fits with other U.S. global health objectives. If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, register online to attend.

Today the Slate news website posted a profile of Melinda Gates, who, along with husband Bill Gates, run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The couple are spearheading the fight against poverty and tropical disease by devoting 90% of their vast wealth to the cause. You can read this interesting article here:

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/ft/2011/12/melinda_gates_discusses_fighting_poverty_in_the_developing_world_.html

World AIDS Day 2011 today marks the 30th year of the epidemic with the theme “Getting to Zero”. Since that time, over 65 million people have been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and over 30 million have died. Currently, 34 million people are living with HIV and 2.7 million people were newly infected in 2010 alone. At the same time, great advancement and progress have occurred to address the epidemic. Global programs including the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria,  the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William J. Clinton Foundation and others are working to provide life-saving antiretrovirals, develop new methods of prevention and improve the quality of life of those living with HIV/AIDS around the globe.

Below are some ways to reflect on recent developments and the the burden of HIV in the world:

• Take this quiz
• A successful recent mouse HIV vaccine study
• Johns Hopkins School of Public Health’s World AIDS Day Getting to Zero Slide Show
• Greater Than AIDS partnerships and collaborative efforts with leading media and other corporate allies, community organizations, and state and local health departments to increase knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS in America.
• HIV facts and statistics at WorldAIDSDAy.org
• Impatient Optimist’s blogs about people impacting HIV/AIDS
• Hear from people living with HIV
• Find an HIV/AIDS prevention and testing center
• Add a panel to the 2015 Quilt fighting for an AIDS-free generation by 2015
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