Nothing can beat that kind of immersion; nothing can beat waking up in a tiny mountain village everyday at 5:30AM with my fellow travelers to do yoga, or getting woken up in the hospital by a nurse to aid in a delivery or assist in the emergency department. India left a lasting impression – one that no doubt will shape my medical career, but also my personal life. It left me wanting to..
..the film came to an end and the audience allowed the weight of the story to settle, he delicately reminded everyone that every effort produces a result. These efforts would eventually result in CFHI as we know it today. According to Evaleen, “There are some people who you can sense very quickly are special individuals.” Even after only a week of knowing Dr. Rodas, she allowed her instincts to propel her forward.
You may have heard people refer to CFHI and those involved in the organization as part of a global family. This family encompasses those who work and are served by CFHI. In India, young men, and boys barely out of school, travel the highway system connecting the most distant corners. The work is hard, the hours long, and the travel dangerous on the over-crowded highways connecting coast to coast.
At the recent NAFSA conference CFHI paused to reflect on the role of social justice in health. Social Justice has been studied as one of the key ethical principles for students wanting to be involved in Global Health. Increasingly there has been discussion on whether social justice should be a factor when selecting students for admission into medical school.
At CUGH’s Annual Meeting last week in Washington, DC educators and students from over 60 countries met to discuss the global health landscape. Perhaps one of the most powerful and emotional sessions was one that captured power of reflection in global health education. Eight trainees from undergraduate to post-graduate levels read personal reflections on global health education experiences that affected them.
Often the global health dialogue is dominated by Western voices. IFMSA allows 1,000+ medical students from around the world to work face-to-face twice a year. It democratizes global health and allows for crucial relationship development that is necessary for a unified global advocacy voice for health equity and justice. During the IFMSA alumni meeting attendees praised CFHI for its gold-standard model for global health education. Colleagues from Ghana, Serbia, Philippines, Nigeria, and beyond approached me with gratitude for CFHIs important advocacy voice in the global health education field.
Evaleen Jones, MD is the founder of Child Family Health International (CFHI) and Clinical Faculty at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Today, on International Women’s Day we feature an experience from her recent visit to CFHI partner sites in India, and a story from a woman she met while here which carries the message of community empowerment that CFHI embodies.
CFHI helps to identify community strengths, ingenuity, and passion. In close collaboration with local teams, CFHI creates programs and funds community health projects identified and carried out by local teams. This practice is based on the asset-based community development approach, formalized at Northwestern University.
I’ve been a doctor now for 13 (lucky) years but I recently had the opportunity to reflect on my path towards becoming a physician and my involvement in global health.
FSM students go above and beyond the call of the program and support CFHI & Northwestern University School of Medicine Project training for parteras, or traditional midwives. Throughout the year students raise money to contribute towards a 5-day training for over 30 traditional midwives who attend over 40% of the births in the region.
CFHI warmly welcomes Dr. Gieseker and is enthusiastic about the skills she brings to our organization. Karen will be analyzing the outcomes of CFHI programs, as well as mentoring international partners to increase capacity building for research and assessment within and between our partner communities.
Grand Rounds at UCSF- Dr. Evert discussed the variety of ways individuals can ‘practice’ global health, many of which lay down the stethoscope and clinical service in preference of advocacy and community-based capacity building.
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