Partners in Health

"The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong in the world"
--Dr. Paul Farmer, founder Partners in Health

Your assigned book this semester, Mountains Beyond Mountains, takes you along a journey with Dr. Paul Farmer as he seeks to alleviate the suffering in Haiti. To better understand his mission of "providing a preferential option for the poor in health care" spend some time looking through his organization's website Partners in Health.

If you would like to stay connected with the latest updates of Partners in Health, sign up for their email list at the top of the web page.

Mountains Beyond Mountains: Ch. 1-5 Response Paper

After reading part I of your book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, respond to one of the following prompts. Response guidelines:

• One page double spaced Times New Roman 12 pt font.  
• Contains a developed thesis statement 
• Fully and thoughtfully answers all parts of the prompt.  
• Indicate your chosen prompt on your paper.  
• Due: Monday February 17^th

      1.  Compare and contrast the opening images of chapter two with those in chapter three. Why do you think Kidder set up the opening of the chapters in this way? What significance does this comparison have for understanding Farmer’s mission?

            2.  Compare and contrast the items on Farmer’s checklist in chapter three with your ideas of a “normal”    doctor’s duties and responsibilities. How does this checklist help you to better understand Farmer’s approach to medicine? 

#globalhealth

Staying up to date on all things #globalhealth is now easier than ever. As many of you are connected to social media, this is a great way to have the most current news on disease outbreaks, prevention methods, global health campaigns, and on the ground data. Below are highly recommended twitter accounts that have reliable and relevant #globalhealth news.

APHA
@PublicHealth
This is the official account of the American Public Health Association. Three to six updates on public health issues are posted here every weekday, and important posts by others are retweeted.

Karen Grepin
@KarenGrepin
Grepin has been a consultant to a number of international health organizations, including the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Twitter account of Karen Grepin closely follows her global public health blog, but it also offers additional insight, personable interaction and lighthearted musings.

John Hopkins University Public Health
@JohnHopkinsSPH
This account is operated by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. The focus here is on public health research and data analysis.

John Snow Inc.
@JSIhealth
Tweeting about all things #publichealth. JSI is a consulting firm dedicated to improving the health of communities in the USA and around the world.

World Health Organization (WHO)
@WHO
The official account of the World Health Organization provides information pertaining to the health of children and adults everywhere. This account is just as helpful for the general public as it is for public health professionals.

Center for Disease Control Global Health
@CDCGlobal
CDC works 24/7 to save lives, reduce disease, and improve #globalhealth around the world.

Global Health Progress
@GlobalHealth
The Global Health Progress initiative seeks to bring research-based biopharmaceutical companies and global health leaders together to improve health in the developing world.

USAID Global Health
@USAIDGH
For over 50 years, the U.S. Agency for International Development has improved the health in developing countries around the world.

  

No More Shots!: A Revolutionary Approach to Vaccination

As we discussed in class, vaccination is a vital prevention method used within the world of global health and epidemiology. Vaccination campaigns have the capabilities of completely riding the global of deadly disease as was the case with smallpox. Although vaccines are available for many of the world's killer microbes, it is often a very complicated getting those vaccines to the people in need--especially in developing countries. As these countries are often the most affected by infectious disease, new methods of getting those much needed vaccines to those areas of the world could revolutionize global health.

Mark Kendall and his team have done just that. Take a look below to discover his revolutionary approach to vaccination. As you watch, think about how this would impact the developing world and shift the infection disease inequality.