Action, Reflection, and Hopes for Haiti --Blog post by CFHI ED
2010-01-25
CFHI Executive Director, Steve Schmidbauer, gives a brief description and a bit of the back story of collaborative efforts to get urgently needed medical supplies to Haiti, and adds some personal reflections in this Blog post at GlobalHealthImmersionPrograms.org.
CFHI has teamed up with VIDA (Volunteers for Inter-American Development Assistance), and with MedShare to get urgently needed medical supplies on their way to Haiti. (see Jan 13, 2010 posting)
Relying on the generosity of our supporters, we moved quickly to work with VIDA and MedShare. The supplies will be segmented and matched with other shipments, some of them to go by air and some will be trucked to Dallas and Miami but they are all in the pipeline for Haiti.
We commend the great work of VIDA and MedShare throughout the holiday weekend to make sure that things kept moving.
CFHI is deeply grateful to our loyal supporters. Thanks for your help!
Many CFHI supporters are asking about the best way to help in response to the situation in Haiti. This is very much a developing situation and we recommend that if you want to help immediately, please donate cash to a charity you trust. CFHI does not have programs in Haiti but we have worked with partner organizations there that provide direct healthcare to the people. In 2005, we were asked to help with medical supplies and equipment for Haiti and we were successful in getting these much needed items to hospitals and clinics working in some of the most underserved communities in the world.
In response to the major earthquake in Haiti, we have been asked to help again. CFHI is teaming up, once again, with one of our long-time partners VIDA(Volunteers for Inter-American Development Assistance). Over the years we have successfully shipped millions of dollars worth of medical supplies and equipment to areas in great need. As of January 13, 2010, just a little more than 24 hours after the earthquake, over $1 Million in medical supplies and equipment have been assembled and is now ready to be shipped to Haiti.
The supplies include items as basic as crutches, and bandages and urgently needed supplies such as first aid items, wound care kits, surgery kits, sutures, syringes, etc. We are currently working to coordinate efforts to transport these items into Haiti for immediate use.
If you want to help us support this effort, please DONATE NOW and indicate Haiti in your donation.
If you would like suggestions of organizations working in Haiti, we suggest you look at the following organizations:
New Blog Post Remembering the Great Asian Tsunami of 2004
2009-12-24
The anniversary of the Great Asian Tsunami is December 26th. Do you remember where you were on that day in 2004?
The effects of the huge earthquake and resulting tsunami were devastating. Some reports say that about a quarter million people in some eleven countries, lost their lives, almost in an instant. For those who were left, they not only had to deal with the grief and loss but also with their lives and livelihood being forever changed. Many made their living off the sea and now the trauma of this event made it hard for them to comfortably return to their work.
Read more about CFHI's role then and now by following the link to the Bolg.
CFHI Executive Director Blogs from India along the Ganges
2009-12-11
Check out the Bolg at globalhealthimmerssionprogrsms.org
Steve Schmidbauer, CFHI's Executive Director blogs about a new partnership with villages in remote areas along the Ganges. This marks an expansion of CFHI's Rural Himalayan Program and more health camps for the people of the region who have little or no access to healthcare. Follow the link below to read more.
David Liskey was a 2008 CFHI South Africa participant that came to us through our Oregon partner IE3.
David was featured recently in the Oregon State University President’s Report. Read about his experience and “how race, culture and poverty affect health care in a country with one of the highest HIV infection rate in the world.”
David participated in an 11 week program with CFHI and received credit from his home institution. From his first-hand experience, he wrote a University Honors College senior thesis. David was perceptive and able to see how culture impacts health.
In the president’s report, he reflects, “The different experiences and topics I studied had an effect on how I see the world.”
CFHI Listed in Today’s Edition of USA TODAY as a Trusted Charity
2009-10-13
For the second time, CFHI made the list of seal holders of the national Better Business Bureau for nonprofits. The list appeared in today’s edition of USA TODAY. The BBB instituted a charity side to their ordinary BBB a few years ago. They took out a full-page ad today to list charities that meet their stringent standards. Part of the aim is to help people know if they can trust a charity when they are thinking about donating. There are 20 standards designed specifically for nonprofits that the BBB website describes briefly by saying, “Organizations that comply with these accountability standards have provided documentation that they meet basic standards:
• In how they govern their organization,
• In the ways they spend their money,
• In the truthfulness of their representations, and
• In their willingness to disclose basic information to the public.”
The banner across the top of the page sums it up: “START WITH TRUST”. CFHI is proud to be on this list and wishes to acknowledge the hard work of our Staff and Board of Directors in meeting these standards.
CFHI Executive Director, Steve Schmidbauer, blogs from South Africa.
In Cape Town, he finds that one of the hospitals that is part of the CFHI program, is fighting a growing and menacing epedemic, and it is not HIV/AIDS. Follow the link below to the blog to read a story that exemplifies the grassroots nature of CFHI's programs and the outstanding local healthcare workers that are part of the CFHI global family.
CFHI Special Project: Equipment for Hospital Civil, Oaxaca, Mexico
2009-09-30
CFHI is proud to announce the donation of a Macbook computer to one of our partner sites in Oaxaca, Mexico-- the teaching department of Hospital Civil. The donation to the subdireccion de ensenanza department came after the hospital requested this equipment from CFHI as a useful tool in improving operations there.
The computer will serve in many capacities including logging various activities occurring within the department and in managing the coordination of medical residents working at Hospital Civil. CFHI would like to thank the participants of our Global health Education programs as well as support from our donors in making such contributions possible.
CFHI Executive Director, Steve Schmidbauer, blogs about his recent visit to the United Nations on the Global Health Immersion Programs website. CFHI was granted Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and so this visit was to follow through on establishing the relationships that will allow CFHI to both share news from the UN and WHO with its international partners, and to allow the experiences of the various grassroots healthcare workers who comprise part of the CFHI Global Family to be shared with the world commuity.
Read more about Steve’s experience at the UN in New York on the blog by clicking the link below.
Learning From South – South Collaboration, April 2010, Cuernavaca, Mexico
2009-09-24
Alliances for Global Health Education: Learning from South-South Collaboration, has been announced as the theme for an upcoming conference to be held April 9-11, 2010, in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The joint collaboration represents the 19th annual conference on Global Health Issues for the Global Health Education Consortium (GHEC), based in the United States and the 1st Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Global Health hosted by the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (INSP), based in Mexico.
A White Paper and call for abstracts can be found on the GHEC website here.
The Call for Abstracts is through November 1, 2009. All aspects of Global Health are welcome for submission and there is a special request for "progressively-minded projects that take into
consideration the ideals of global health that embrace: Social Justice, Ethical Practices, Community Ownership, Equity and Fairness, True Partnership, and Bilateral Exchange."
See Blog Post by CFHI Executive Director, Steve Schmidbauer, as he pulls together some recent happenings on Global Health programs and funding.
Steve is seeing some more momentum in the direction of a diagonal approach to funding new initiatives as opposed to more split approaches that tend to be vertical or horizontal.
Forecast for Increasing Shortage of Primary Care Physicians in USA
2009-09-12
In its coverage of the current health care debate in the US, CNN reports on data from the American Association of Medical Colleges, AAMC showing an increasing shortage of physicians in the United States.
Most concerning is the gap in primary care. Currently the AAMC is reporting a shortage in the US of 16,000 primary care physicians. This is forecasted to increase by 30,000 so that by 2025 the shortage is expected to rise to 46,000.
The CNN story can be found through the link at the bottom of this story but much more health workforce data is available on the AAMC workforce page of its website.
In the current issue of The New Physician, Dr. Jamie S. Hirsch, an internal medicine resident, reflects back on poignant comments in the casual conversation he has with his peers decompressing during a poker game, and what those comments say about their journey through medical education. He is not the first student to worry about becoming jaded in the pursuit of a medical degree and it is refreshing to see someone actually come forward and bravely wrestle with the important issues of professionalism and humanism in medicine.
Dr. Hirsch challenges the “prevailing wisdom” in an effort to piece together the science and the art of medicine, at least as it pertains to the human encounter of interacting with patients. “Recalling our original impetus, we must meld a passion for science and technology with core values of medicine –humanism, caring, and compassion…”
Our hats are off to Dr. Hirsch for this honest and thought provoking perspective. Take a few minutes and treat yourself to a good read and get in touch, once again, with why you wanted to be a health professional in the first place.
CFHI alum, Melanie Mamon, writes on her experience completing the Sight for All Eye Care Rotation in New Delhi.
Melanie wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into at the start but in the end she proclaims, “…without a doubt, I can say it turned out to be a really amazing experience.”
Read Melanie's week-by-week summaries and her reflections on how the program impacted her.
“…my time in India was both professionally and personally rewarding. Not only did I gain a vast amount of knowledge about the structure of the eye and the diseases that affect it as well as real world experience in data analysis that will be useful to my public health degree, I also learned that I am more independent than I thought I was, I can adapt to various situations…”
Read on to see that the program has helped Melanie strengthen her commitment to vision care and the big decision between ophthalmology and optometry.
CFHI is happy to announce it will be offering 10 partial scholarships for spring 2010 programs to provide partial funding for qualified students towards our Global Health Education Programs. CFHI Spring 20010 Scholarships are used to help fund January- May 2010 Global Health Education Programs.
See the CFHI scholarships page page for more details.
CFHI Founder On Service Learining Abroad in The Advisor
2009-08-04
Evaleen Jones, MD, CFHI Founder, President, and Medical Director, writes in the current issue of The Advisor considering questions regarding the surge in recent years of students going abroad.
Dr. Jones offers her thoughts based on 20 years of community-based Global Health education and CFHI’s experience of well over 5,000 health science students having participated in its Global Health Immersion Programs. From forming partnerships internationally, to preparation of students, expectations of outcomes, ethical issues, and guidelines for safety and emergency situations, this is a broad overview of important issues for all Global Health programs with an experiential component.
Reprinted with permission from the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions. The original article appeared in the Advisor, Volume 29, No. 2, June, 2009.
Compassionate Communication Workshop for CFHI Alumni
2009-07-12
Being a health professional in today's world is a challenging profession. Due to high patient caseloads, budget cuts, understaffing, cultural differences, and many other constraints, it is increasingly hard to provide the quality care we desire.
For these reasons, CFHI is partnering with the Center for Nonviolent Communication, (CNVC) and Relationship Coaching Institute to offer a six week tele-training introducing Compassionate Communication techniques to medical professionals. This pilot project is a chance to participate in a leading-edge effort to raise the professionalism and humanism of healthcare through effective, compassionate communication strategies.
This innovative program addresses inherent communication challenges to the medical professional. Improving the effectiveness of your communication as a medical professional can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your work. Learn skills that will be life-long assets for you professionally and personally.
The live phone conference begins Tuesday July 21 and runs for six consecutive Tuesdays. CFHI alumni can register by following the link below.
From Bolivia to New Jersey -A Student Reflects on her Global Health Immersion Experience
2009-07-02
Yvonne Chasser, 2008 CFHI alum, reflects on the deeper insights she learned from her experience during the CFHI Pediatric Health Program in La Paz, Bolivia. Writing in the current issue of Global Pulse, the International Health Journal of the American Medical Student Association, one can see that her immersion into the culture and the healthcare system of Bolivia has stayed with her as she now volunteers at a clinic in New Jersey. The Princeton premed student was deeply touched by the compassionate care she witnessed during her time in La Paz.
She writes, “It is my hope that the next generation of doctors brings a more diverse range of approaches to medicine and a passionate, acquired sensitivity targeted to the needs of the changing American population,” as she works to integrate what she learned first hand from Bolivian doctors. She hopes that more avenues for cultural awareness and commuity service will be offered in medical education.
Don’t miss this thought provoking reflection, follow the link below.
Lessons In Global Health From Research and Reality
2009-06-30
Dr. Julio Frenk, who was Mexico’s Minister of Health from 2000-2006, is interviewed in the current issue of Global Pulse, the International Health Journal of the American Medical Student Association. Dr. Frenk, now the Dean of Harvard’s School of Public Health is interviewed on a wide range of topics from health as a human right, to H1N1 Influenza, to the growing field of Global Health.
The interview also covers his innovation of a national health insurance for Mexico and how he has been successful using research to support ethics and drive the political agenda to garner public support for social change.
This article by Karen Leggett, in the current issue of International Educator, is now directly available through the link below to the NAFSA website.
For more than a year, Ms. Leggett has explored the globalization of higher education in various disciplines. This article focuses on Medical schools and the growing interest in global health.
Medical Electives --All 2010 Global Health Electives Now Open for Applications
2009-06-20
Child Family Health International invites students of the health professions to apply for our 2010 Global Health Immersion Programs. All of our available dates for these unique health electives in Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, and South Africa, are now open.
In our most recent surveys of returning CFHI alumni, 94% say they would recommend the programs to other students. Some programs have limited space so apply early. We already have quite a number of students registered for our January – May programs. Now all program dates January – December are open for application.
Medical students and students of many disciplines including public health, nursing, physician assistant, pharmacy, dental, and physical therapy, have found CFHI programs to be a very enriching experience.
Global Health Should be Measured in Part by Equity
2009-06-16
WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, called for greater equity in health to be considered as part of how we measure progress as a global community.
“Greater equity in the health status of populations, within and between countries, should be regarded as a key measure of how we, as a civilized society, are making progress,” Dr. Chan said speaking at UN Headquarters in New York.
Defining global health has been a challenge. This has been especially true in recent years with the increased interest in science, philanthropy, and politics related to global health. In the June 6, 2009 issue of The Lancet, a multidisciplinary and international panel brought together by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, and led by Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, has taken a bold step in offering the world a definition.
The article entitled Towards a Comon Definition of Global Health, represents an important step in bringing together the work, "and priorities for action between physicians, researchers, funders, the media, and the general public." A thoughtful process is outlined considering the origins of global health in the areas of public health and international health.
The attempt is to be broad rather than limiting, and emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches and mutuality, as well as equity and collaboration.
See the article Expats at Work, in the May 14th issue of The Economist. While this study was not done on health science students, it did show that people who not only traveled abroad but actually had lived in a foreign place, have a better capacity for creativity. When given a real-life problem to deal with or the need to negotiate with others, the study revealed that participants who lived abroad or had spent some time living abroad were significantly more successful.
On May 15 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted its recommendation that American citizens avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico. As a result of the CDC's decision, the State Department's Travel Alert relating to the 2009-H1N1 influenza outbreak is no longer in effect.
International Experiences as part of Medical Training Explored in the Current Issue of International Educator
2009-05-11
The May-June issue of International Educator, the magazine of the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), contains an article by Karen Legget entitled: Teaching Medicine Without Borders. CFHI Executive Director, Steven Schmidbauer, and many others are quoted as Ms Legget traces the movement from "International Health" to "Global Health" and the impact this is having on medical education.
Today President Barack Obama issued a statement on global health. "We cannot simply confront individual preventable illnesses in isolation," the president said. He cointinued, "The world is interconnected, and that demands an integrated approach to global health." Follow the link below for the full statement on the White House website.
CFHI Responds to H1N1 Flu, Offers Program Alternatives
2009-05-03
As an international organization with Global Health programs abroad, CFHI is continuing to monitor the outbreak of the H1N1 Flu virus in Mexico and other countries. CFHI headquarters in the U.S. maintains regular contact with our international partners and Medical Directors abroad and continues to keep our current and incoming students informed about the latest developments in their program countries.
In light of the cancellation of many Mexico programs, CFHI is accepting last minute applications for those seeking alternative programs, often in Spanish speaking countries such as Ecuador and Bolivia for summer and fall 2009.
CFHI is prepared to accommodate special program start dates and offers elective letters and documentation for those requesting academic credit from their schools and universities. For more details, contact the CFHI office.
CFHI Listed as Trusted Charity by National BBB Wise Giving Alliance in USA Today
2009-04-09
The National Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance took out a full page in today's USA Today newspapper to list the nonprofits that meet their lsit of 20 rigorous standards. The top of the ad reads "Start With Trust" and then goes on to list charities that can claim the BBB Charity Seal.
CFHI is proud to be among the great company of charities on this list and acknowledges the hard work of our dedicated Staff and the oversight and guidance of our volunteer Board of Directors.
CFHI Chosen as a Beneficiary of the First Conscious Relationship Sumit
2009-04-08
The First Conscious Relationship Sumit was held internationally via teleconference from March 30 through April 3, 2009. The event was organized by the Relationship Coaching Institute(RCI), an international organization that trains helping professionals to work with people to have successful relationships in their careers, with their families, and socially.
CFHI is honored to be one of a handful of charities chosen to benefit from the proceeds of the conference.
Listen to an interview for the conference, conducted by David Steele, MA, LMFT, and Founder of RCI, with CFHI Founder Dr. Evaleen Jones, by clicking the view link to the right.
CFHI Opens New Program with Focus on Chagas Disease
2009-04-01
CFHI’s Chagas program in Tarija, Bolivia provides students an opportunity to learn about an infectious disease that is a major cause of death and disability in Latin America, but which is very rarely seen in industrialized countries. Chagas is an endemic disease in Bolivia, with Tarija having one of the highest prevalence rates in the whole country. This disease, usually found only in countries with scarce resources, is not very well known or studied in developed countries, but due to International migration and population shifts, it has recently been detected in areas where it was non-existent.
CFHI’s Founder, President, and Medical Director, Dr. Evaleen Jones, has been named one of Silicon Valley’s Women of Influence for 2009. This honor is bestowed by the San Jose Business Journal and recognizes women who are, “making a difference,” in business, government, and nonprofit sectors. A ceremony for the awards will be held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California on March 18, 2009. Congratulations Evaleen!
Pharmacy Student's CFHI Program Noted in Casper Star Tribune
2009-03-03
The Casper Star Tribune features story of University of Wyoming pharmacy student, Shanna O'Connor, on CFHI program. "Now we can keep an HIV patient alive as long as a type 1 or type 2 diabetic, but it involves some drastic lifestyle changes and major drug interactions," she said. "It's a very unique setting for a pharmacist to step into."
You can now apply for CFHI programs for January, February March or April 2010. If you apply before July 31st, 2009, you are guaranteed 2009 program fees for your 2010 program!
Dr. Evaleen Jones, CFHI Founder, President, and Medical Director, will speak at the 11th Annual International Health Conferecne in the Bay Area. The Conference will be Sunday March 1, 2009, and is hosted this year by Touro University. Dr. Jones will address the Ethics and Ethos of Global Health Education.
Appropriate training can mean the difference between life and death in a pediatric emergency, yet many health professionals in developing countries lack access to courses and learning materials. In February 2008, Mark Corden, MD traveled to Puerto Escondido, Mexico, where he provided pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) trainings for local healthcare personnel. During his month-long stay in Puerto, he was able to teach 14 PEM classes to about 450 residents and doctors in hospitals throughout Puerto Escondido.
He recently returned from Bolivia, where he offered similar PEM trainings at the Hospital del Niño in La Paz as well as to the Sociedad Pediatrica de La Paz (Bolivian Association of Pediatrics).. Over 30 residents and pediatricians benefited from these trainings. This month he is returning to Bolivia to reach more local professionals with this important training and to train trainers. The train-the-trainer model is an example of the type of sustainable community-focused programming that CFHI aims to support.
You can follow his progress on the CFHI page at Change.org
CFHI Featured in GreatNonprofit's Great*Guide to Giving and Volunteering
2008-11-24
CFHI is featured on page 22 of GreatNonprofit's Great*Guide to Giving and Volunteering, Bay Area 2009. CFHI was chosen for it's strong reviews and average rating of at least 4 stars on the GreatNonprofits website. To view the online version of the Great*Guide, click below.
CFHI and UC Davis Mark Their 3rd Year of Collaboration
2008-11-13
This fall marks the 3rd year of CFHI's collaboration with the UC Davis Chicana/o Studies Program: U.S.-Mexico binational health program. Read the article about CFHI on page 3 of the Chicano Studies Fall Newsletter by clicking below.
Better Business Bureau Gives CFHI a Clean Bill of Health
2008-10-07
In the just-released Better Business Bureau (BBB) WISE GIVING GUIDE, CFHI meets the BBB's stringent Standards for Charity Accountability.
The guide has an editorial focus on volunteer work overseas. You can read more about the BBB and its methodology for measuring accountability to donors by clicking on the link below.
Another Award for Innovative CFHI Health Science Education Project
2008-09-30
"Teaching
Humanism and Cultural Humility Through Global Health Immersion
Programs" was awarded an Honorable Mention by the Poster Committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2008
annual meeting.
This is the second time the poster has received high praise, earning an award for innovation in the field of health science education at the Global Health Education Consortium's conference in Sacramento, California this April.
The poster was presented by Alexis Armenakis, a CFHI 2003 alumna and MD candidate at the University of California at San Francisco. It describes
CFHI’s pilot curriculum, which is designed to teach humanism and cultural
humility through the framework of emotional intelligence to our program students.
United Nations Special Consultative Status Awarded to CFHI
2008-07-25
CFHI is delighted and honored to be awarded special consultative statusby the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The specific area of competency CFHI submitted for review to the ECOSOC is in the area of global health education programming.
Special consultative status was awarded on July 22nd as a result of a rigorous two-year application process. Please click on the link below to read the letter of notification.
Letter of Gratitude to CFHI from the Ecuadorian Consulate (San Francisco)
2008-07-20
As you may recall, in
February 2008 much of Ecuador
was devastated by severe and persistent rains that caused some of the worst
flooding there in living memory.
The floods claimed the
lives of dozens of people and left thousands more homeless. CFHI played a small
part in alleviating the suffering by sending a container of medical supplies to
Ecuador.
This container was funded by the Rudolph E. Futer Fund of
the Community Foundation for MontereyCounty, a
committed and longstanding CFHI supporter.
Please click on the link below to read a letter (in Spanish) we received
recently from the Ecuadorian
Consulate thanking us for our donation to the flood victims.
Read this feature on Jacob Webster, whotraveled to La Paz, Bolivia, earlier this year for a 10-week medical internship with Child Family Health International. Source: Jennifer Moody - Albany Democrat-Herald
CFHI - Special Consultative Status Recommendation from the UN
2008-06-04
The United Nations' Economic and Social Council committee has recommended CFHI's application for special consultative status in matters of global health education. The final decision will be released in July 2008.
Click the link below to read the full press release.
Source: United Nations Dept. of Economic & Social Affairs
Panel on Community Health: Delivering, Serving, Engaging, Leading
2008-05-30
Click on the link to learn the opinions of this esteemed panel, who convened at the 2008 Global Health Council Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The panel was moderated by CFHI's Executive Director, Steve Schmidbauer. Source: Global Health Council
Sahara Project - Albert Einstein Students Fundraiser Update
2008-05-28
Read the beforeand after stories by these inspirational students...in their own words.
Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine students Lillian Wong, Alicia Pittard, Erin Rose Rundquist and everyone at the schools' Global Health club.
Read more about our growing community of CFHI alumni and how they are getting involved and giving back at home and overseas by clicking the link below.
The Growth of Global Health Service-Learning Programs
2007-08-07
The Gowth of Global Health Service-Learning Programs: How to Build Responsible Relationships with Host Communities By Becky Davis, CFHI's Outreach & Alumni Coordinator
Mountains, Babies and Grasshoppers: My Experience with Child Family Health International's Cultural Crossroads in Healthcare Program in Oaxaca, Mexico. September 2006 by Cesar D. Favila
A login and password is not required to navigate the CFHI website. Password
access is reserved for those who have been enrolled in a CFHI global health
education program or for CFHI Global Partners and Preceptors. To apply for
a global health education program, please click here.
