GlobeMed Benefit Dinners and Hilltops 2019
At GlobeMed, our collective learning drives our passion for global health equity and effectiveness as social justice advocates. Hilltops and benefit dinners stand as examples of our commitment to learning together and fostering a strong, energized community. We are pleased to showcase some of these events hosted by our chapters at Northeastern University, University of Cincinnati, and Washington University in St. Louis.
Northeastern University Benefit Dinner
Each year at our annual Benefit Dinner, GlobeMed at Northeastern has been fortunate enough to hear from incredible speakers who come from all around the globe. This year was no exception. Dr. Lisa Messersmith, of Boston University’s School of Public Health, joined us this year to talk about her failed research study in ART retention and adherence for pregnant and postpartum women in Uganda.
This provocative look into her failed study shone light on many of the obstacles which women in Uganda face concerning their health treatment that go way beyond taking their prescribed medication at the correct time. Dr. Messersmith and her team were able to uncover the fact that ART retention isn’t low simply due to the forgetfulness of women in Uganda when it comes to taking their medication. Instead, women are faced with stigma, fear of divorce from their husbands, lack of food, etc. All of these obstacles play into their informed decision if whether or not they feel it is safe to take their medication at that time. With this new information, Dr. Messersmith and her team hope to be able to return to Uganda in the future with a new and innovative way to address these obstacles and improve ART retention.
Aside from our incredible speaker, our dinner featured many prizes up for auction, including signed Red Sox paraphernalia, tickets to the aquarium, a Keurig, and even MCAT books! We also enjoyed a catered dinner from Rebecca’s Cafe along with cotton candy made with love by our members. This is by far our favorite event of the year and we were happy that this year’s dinner continued to be a success!
University of Cincinnati Benefit Dinner
GlobeMed at the University of Cincinnati held our 6th Annual Benefit Dinner on March 29th in support of our partner, Social Action for Children and Women (SAW). With this year’s goal of raising $11,000 in support of SAW’s Community Health Outreach Program, our Benefit Dinner represents our biggest fundraising event of the year and it was a tremendous success! During dinner, we heard from two keynote speakers, Dr. Kate York and MD/PhD student Juliana Madzia, who twice served as co-president of our GlobeMed chapter. Dr. York is the Director of Global Health Nursing at our College of Nursing, and shared her own experience in building sustainable partnerships in Tanzania and how this has shaped her own training of the future generation of clinical nurses. Juliana described her own involvement with GlobeMed and how this organization is inspiring a growing movement for achieving health equity both here and abroad. There was a noted excitement in the air as we tallied the totals from our silent auction, and we were beyond excited and humbled to see that this year’s efforts resulted in over $15,000 raised for SAW, far surpassing our own goals and expectations!
“So many stories get lost when we emphasize narratives of tragedy.” — Juliana Madzia, University of Cincinnati
Washington University in St. Louis Hilltop
Hilltop is an annual conference hosted by GlobeMed at WashU surrounding a topic in global health. This year, the conference took place March 29th- March 30th and focused on the theme of immigrant and refugee health. Hilltop exposed students to local organizations focused on immigrant and refugee healthcare, including Kingdom House, Bilingual International Assistant Services, International Institute of St. Louis, and the Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Program and provided students the opportunity to get involved with their work. Furthermore, students were empowered and engaged by panels and discussions throughout the day, including a Stop the Bleed training, a panel featuring St. Louis area immigrants and refugees, a workshop lead by the Missouri State Refugee Health Coordinator, and a keynote speech from medical doctor and humanitarian Dr. Samantha Nutt.
Through the conference, we were able to expand the important conversation surrounding immigrant and refugee health beyond the immigrant service provider community and get WashU students involved. We believe this conference was an extremely informative opportunity for students to gain a more nuanced understanding of the unique experiences of individuals in our local community. Furthermore, through continued partnerships with some of the organizations in attendance, we hope to help with the important work they are doing in the St. Louis community.
