The Helping Hand: Health Advocacy at Brown University

Keynote Address of URI’s 12th Annual Diversity Week

2008-09-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Multicultural Center and Lifespan invite you to attend the Keynote Address of URI’s 12th Annual Diversity Week
Presented by

Dr. Tyrone B. Hayes
Professor, Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley

From ‘Silent Spring’ to Silent Night: The Silent Attack of Pesticides on the Human Immune System.

Thursday, September 25, 2008
7:30pm
Memorial Union Ballroom

When Syngenta, the world’s largest multinational chemical corporation commissioned Tyrone B. Hayes and his lab to conduct research on the effects of environmental exposure to atrazine, the nation’s most widely used pesticide and the firm’s top selling product in 1997, it set the stage for a classic David and Goliath struggle, pitting the young professor and his allies in the academic world and non-profit worlds against the giant corporation and its researchers. Hayes holds a B.S degree in organismic and evolutionary biology from Harvard University in 1989, and a Ph.D. degree in integrative biology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993. Hired in 1995, he attained tenure at UC Berkeley in 1997, rising to full professor in 2002 at age 36.

For more information, please contact the MCC at 874-2851 or visit our website at www.uri.edu/mcc

Help make HIV testing part of the law! - TOMORROW 5/7/08

2008-05-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

We desperately need help for advocating for HIV legal reform. There is a fantastic bill which would 1) make all HIV testing opt out in Rhode Island and 2) mandate newborn testing for HIV, which has been shown to dramatically reduce transmission of the virus to kids. I would like to lead a group of interested volunteers to come to the state house and testify. Feel free to add testimony of your own, or watch the debate unfold. I'll meet folks before hand to talk.

We need to be there at 5pm on the Senate side. This means about a half hour for orientation. So we don't have to stand, let's plan on leaving the hospital at 4pm. I can give a few rides, but if there's folks with cars who know how to get there, all the better.

If you want to read the text of the bill before hand (not mandatory, but a good idea): http://www.rilin.state.ri.us//BillText08/SenateText08/S2960.pdf

Please page me with questions. I hope lots can come! Wear a white coat and look important and determined!!!

Brian

Brian Alverson, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Brown Medical School
Head, Section of Pediatric Hospitalists
Hasbro Children's Hospital
phone: (401) 444-7396
fax: (401) 444-2797

RIte Care Op-ed in the Providence Journal

2008-04-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Today's ProJo features an op-ed written by second-year med students about the importance of RIte Care. Congrats to Juan Vasquez, Margret Chang, Sharon Davis, and Andrea Dean for their good work!

Click on the link below for the article:

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_nuvaz17_04-17-08_UO9O8IE_v13.39d5bd7.html

White Coats for Healthy Votes--Rally at the State House (April 9)

2008-04-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

WHITE COATS FOR HEALTHY VOTES!

Are you a clinician who supports RIte Care?

Join nurses and doctors from around the state for a public event and lobby day to celebrate the positive impact RIte Care has on the well-being of our state’s children and families and to encourage members of the General Assembly to vote AGAINST proposed cuts to RIte Care.

When: Wed, April 9, 2008 3:15 PM
Where: State House, Providence

Dress Code: White lab coats and/or scrubs, you can even wear your stethoscope! Don’t be shy; we want your elected officials to know that you are a medical professional.

We will provide you with talking points and hand outs for your elected officials – all you need to do is come prepared to explain the importance of RIte Care to your patients.

Please forward this message to your friends, family and coworkers. We need as many people involved as possible to make sure RIte Care is protected. If you cannot make it to the State House on April 9 please log on to www.ritecareworks.org and sign up to send an email message or make a call to your elected officials - let them know that you do not support the proposed cuts to RIte Care!

**********
About RIte Care – RIte Care is Rhode Island’s Medicaid managed care program for children and families with low-income. It has proven to be one of the most successful public health insurance programs in America, allowing Rhode Island to have the best timely prenatal care for pregnant women in the country, the lowest child death rate and one of the ten best rates of children’s health insurance coverage. More than 110,000 people currently participate in the program, but current proposals would deny up to 15,000 from participating.

RIte Care Works Coalition members include: American Cancer Society – New England Division, Bayside Family Healthcare, Blackstone Valley Community Healthcare, Chad Brown Health Center, East Bay Community Action Program, Family Health Services, Family Voices at RIPIN, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Northwest Health Center, Parent Support Network of Rhode Island, The Poverty Institute at Rhode Island College, The Providence Community Health Centers, Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians, Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Health Center Association, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, The Rhode Island Medical Society, Rhode Island Parent Information Network, Thundermist Health Center, Tri-Town Health Center, Wood River Health Services and Woonsocket Even Start.

Tommy Thompson comes to Brown

2008-04-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I think an email went out to the Brown Med community about Tommy Thompson's upcoming lecture at Brown. He is the former Secretary of Health and Human Services (from 2001-2005), and he will be speaking about the uninsured and their impact on population health.

There's been a lot of activity here around issues of health insurance, so I figured folks might be interested in hearing what Thompson had to say.

Here are the details:

Where: Pembroke Campus, Andrews Dining Hall
When: Tuesday, April 8 at 4pm

See the below link for more info:

http://med.brown.edu/news/barnes

Cheers,

Margret

Save RIte Care: Come Lobby at the State House this Wednesday!

2008-03-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Welcome back from spring break. If you have been reading the newspaper or watching the news, then you know that Rhode Island is at a major crossroad. We have a large deficit, and the governor has proposed major cuts to RIte Care--the insurance program that covers low-income families.

If the supplemental budget, which is up for vote sometime in the next month, passes, then thousands of kids in RI will lose their health insurance. A few of us second years have been lobbying state legislators over the past few months, but we need more help (especially since we will have less time now with the boards and all). It would also be awesome if some people were able to take on the task of coordinating our collaboration with Ocean State Action, the organization that helps us lobby.

So please, please come out and lobbying for RIte care this Wednesday, April 2nd. We will be meeting in the BMC at 3:00 pm and carpooling to the State House where we will be speaking with legislators and hopefully changing their mind. This is a great opportunity to get involved with advocacy at a statewide level and keep kids insured and healthy.

If you have never lobbied before, don’t worry. We usually approach the representatives in groups of two, and we will have some information and pointers before we start. Please email juan_vasquez@brown.edu if you plan to join us.

-Juan and Margret

Contraceptive Access in RI

2008-03-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

There's a House Health, Education & Welfare committee hearing at the state house scheduled for Wednesday, March 26th at the State house. In submission is Bill H7576, which will bring reprimand to pharmacies that do not fill prescriptions for contraceptives in a timely manner or follow rapid protocol for their order. The bill will also encompass over-the-counter access to Emergency Contraception, stating that pharmacies not carrying the product must (1) ensure expedited order or (2) provide appropriate referral. Denial of care is not an option.

How you can help? If any of you or your friends have ever had trouble in RI (or elsewhere) getting contraception or EC filled at a pharmacy and would be willing to testify about it, please contact me. I will be part of the testifying panel on the 26th; the house needs to see medical student support on this bill, as it will affect the implementation ofour clinical advice by patients in the future.

Please let me know of your interest by e-mailing me at brian_nguyen@brown.edu

Thanks for your consideration.

~Brian Nguyen

Brown University Refugee Symposium

2008-03-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

The International Institute of Rhode Island, Physicians for Human Rights, Miriam Hospital, the Rhode Island Department of Health, and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University present:

Issues in Refugee Health:

Barriers to Medical Access in Rhode Island

Each year, more than 150-300 refugees are resettled in Rhode Island from troubled countries all over the world, with the most recent arrivals coming from Africa. Please join medical experts, students, and refugee community health supporters for a symposium designed to explore barriers to local healthcare access for resettled refugees.

Wednesday, March 19
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Brown University
Bio Medical Center, Room 202
Corner of Brown and Meeting St.

To RSVP, please contact:

margret_chang@brown.edu

katieambrose@hotmail.com

Health and Human Rights in the Gaza Strip

2008-03-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Health and Human Rights in the Gaza strip will be this Wed. March 12 from 12-12:50 in BMC 202. The event will feature Dr. Nancy Murray, a founder of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and president of the Gaza Mental Health Foundation Inc.

Questions? Contact Sareh_Rajaee@brown.edu.

March 12 Discussion with Dr. Jim Kim

2008-03-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I'm sure the email below will be of interest to lots of people.

Thanks,

Margret
--------------------------

Please join us for a special seminar with world-renowned medical and public health pioneer Jim Yong Kim '82 on Wednesday, March 12, from 2:30-4:00 pm.

Jim is former director of the World Health Organization's Department of HIV/AIDS, a co-founder of Partners in Health (www.pih.org, profiled in the Tracy Kidder book, Mountains Beyond Mountains), and a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow; and holds appointments with the Division of Social Medicine and Health Inequalities at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the François Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has done truly pioneering work in improve health in impoverished communities around the world.

The session will be a unique opportunity for an in-depth conversation with this global leader. Jim will present work on Global Health Delivery that he's undertaking with Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School, followed by discussion with the group. Expertise in global health is not required, and the discussion will yield tremendous learning relevant to many areas of global or community-based work.

Space is limited - please RSVP no later than Weds., March 5, to Wendy Perelman, wendy_perelman@brown.edu.

The seminar will take place at the Population Studies Center, 68 Waterman Street (between Prospect and Brown Streets).

For more background on Jim:
Profile in Brown Alumni Monthly: www.brownalumnimagazine.com/november/december-2006/the-healer.html

Interview in The Lancet: http://www.brighamandwomens.org/socialmedicine/News/kim_profile_lancet.pdf

Hope you can join us!

Roger Nozaki
Director, Howard R. Swearer Center for Public Service
Associate Dean of the College
Brown University
Box 1974, 25 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
T: 401/863-1446
F: 401/863-3094
E: roger_nozaki@brown.edu

New contacts for health advocacy

2008-02-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Brown Health Advocates,

As a health advocate and Brown alum ('67) I excited and proud that you are organizing and activating health advocacy at Brown. I am now working with the Narrative Medicine Program at Columbia (this fall my colleague there, Sayantani DasGupta '92 and I published a co-edited book of women's illness narratives that includes sections on narratives of advocacy), with Medicare Rights Center, and as advisor to a women's health reform coalition (Raising Women's Voices for the Healthcare We Need), all of which would be of interest to health advocates at Brown.

Marsha Hurst, Ph.D.

www.marshahurst.com

Brown University Assistive Technology Fair

2008-02-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

PHR, AMSA, and the Bionic Man elective present...

Part 4 of the Disability Awareness Series:

Brown's 1st Assistive Technology Fair

Wednesday, Feb. 13
7-8:30 pm
Crystal Room in Alumnae Hall
194 Meeting St.

*Dinner from Twist on Angell, as well as desserts and warm beverages from Olga's will be served.

Feel free to stop by anytime between 7 and 8:30 pm for as long as you would like. This event will be in a vendor-exhibit format, in which attendees will circulate around a room of display tables.

Featuring:
TechACCESS of RI
The Assistive Technology Lab at URI
Prentke Romich Company (PRC)
Afferent Corporation
Brown's Disability Support Services (DSS)
"Toys and Technologies for Rehabilitation" Collaboration

Black History Month at Brown Med

2008-02-04T23:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Black History Month! In celebration, SNMA is sponsoring a lunchtime lecture series. This is an opportunity to explore intricacies of culture and race, an intersection that will no doubt play a role in all of our lives as physicians (and as people).

We are excited and looking forward to a great series. All events are from 12-12:50pm and lunch is provided.

Thursday, Feb 7th: Conceptualizing Persisting Politics of Race-Mr. Marco McWilliams (BMC 202)

Monday, Feb 11th: Social Policy as Health Policy-Dr. Dannie Ritchie (Eddy/BMC 291)

Monday Feb 18th: Crossing Barriers: Blacks and Latin America-Prof. Anani Dzidzienyo (BMC 202)

Friday Feb 22nd: The New Struggle: Emancipation through Education-Prof. Marion Orr

Any questions? feel free to contact brown@snma.org.

THANKS!

-SNMA

Make-A-Wish Foundation Benefit Event

2008-02-04T23:36:00.000-08:00

Hi all - just wanted to let you know about an upcoming event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Providence. Its a great organization, and their fundraisers are a lot of fun :)

March 8, 2008
If You Had One Wish Dinner & Dance
Knights of Columbus, Providence RI
Dinner and dancing to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Rhode Island. Tickets $20.00
For more information, call Jeanine Iannucci (401) 578-7091

Peace,
annie thacker
Anne_Thacker@brown.edu

February is Disability Awareness Month

2008-01-31T19:49:00.000-08:00

PHR & AMSA present

Disability Awareness Month

(see below for schedule of events)

Friday 2/1
Introduction to Disability Awareness
12-12:50pm
BMC 202
lunch

Tuesday 2/5
Children with Disabilities
12-12:50pm
Smiitty-B 106
lunch

Tuesday 2/12
Disability and Empowerment: sports & recreation
12-12:50pm
BMC 202
lunch

Wednesday 2/13
Assistive Technology Fair
7:00-8:30pm
Alumnae Hall- Crystal Room
refreshments & dessert

TBA:
Panel on Cochlear Implants

Brown Med Students protest proposed cuts to RIteCare

2008-01-24T11:45:00.001-08:00

(Photo credit: Bob Thayer, The Providence Journal)

For those of you who haven't heard, a group of Brown Med students went down to the State House yesterday (Jan 23) to protest the Governor's plan to cut 2,000 children off of RIteCare--the state's health insurance for low income families.

Here's the link to the article that was written up in the ProJo:

http://www.projo.com/news/content/RITE_CARE_PROTEST_01-24-08_0T8NR44_v190.2b1069d.html

Kudos to Dan Schwarz for getting quoted near the end of the article, despite the glaring error on the part of the reporter...

We are going back to lobby next Wednesday (Jan 30) if any one is interested in participating. Email margret_chang@brown.edu or juan_vasquez@brown.edu for more information.

Thanks,

Andy Brunner, Juan Vasquez, Margret Chang

Male Access to Emergency Contraception in RI

2007-12-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all,

Just thought you all should know that December 17th is going to be a bigday for me. After some back and forth between the director of PlannedParenthood of RI (Miriam Inocencio), PP Federation of America (Cecile Richards), and I, Dec. 17th will mark the official beginning of male EC access at PPRI and PPRI Express.

If you did not know before, PPRI never had a policy on the distribution of Plan B to men, nor did they provide any referral information. Men trying to buy Plan B in advance or for their partners were thus met with an uncomfortable situation where they were turned away. This may have damaged Planned Parenthood's relationship with these men as well as their feelings of agency in family planning. Where some clinics in California have not provided to men on account that they give their Plan B away for free and they could not get reimbursed for distribution to a male, men and women at PPRI still have to pay for their subsidized Plan B and there is no reason why a man should not be allowed to simply purchase Plan B, especially considering the organization's commitment to choice.

So now there will be undisputed access and I'm happy about it, except for the fact that I won't be around Providence to buy the first pack.

PPRI currently also operates a Pill Project which is working to ensureaccess to Plan B for women in in Rhode Island by identifying pharmacies that do not dispense and then publicly questioning their policies, however they were never committed to ensuring access to men. After some conversations, they have finally agreed to include male access in their surveys. Unfortunately their agreement comes at an inconvenient time, as their work will probably directly coincide with my own research project on male access, however it will be interesting to see if we end up with differing results.

Anyhow, I consider this a big step in changing Planned Parenthood's image into one with a more partner friendly environment. I like to think that Planned Parenthood has become a household name with respect to reproductive decision making/planning, consequently making sure that men feel comfortable there is extremely important for the fostering of partnership in pregnancy (I think you'veall heard this from me ad nauseum). Nevertheless, I would like to stress that where a woman used to ask her male sexual partner "What do we do now?" and the male just shrugged his shoulders, he can now run to PPRI Express and get her Plan B.

It's my sincere hope that women will come to expect this kind of respect from their male partners and that men will honor that request.

Hope you'll all have a safe and happy holiday.

~Brian Nguyen

Physician for Human Rights: Action List for World AIDS Day

2007-12-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

Missed World AIDS Day events this morning? Want to take action? Visit the website below and find out what PHR chapters around the country are doing for World AIDS Day and to do your part to help out:
http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/hiv-aids/world-aids-day-2007-landing.html

What PHR is doing for World AIDS Day

Collecting signatures for a petition to members of Congress asking for their support of African health professionals (note: RI representatives Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin have NOT signed the bill yet). Sign the petition.
Sending a letter from leading health professionals to President Bush urging further US leadership in the fight against the AIDS pandemic. Read the letter.
Collecting video postcards to the members of the US Congress from health professionals and health professional students. Create your own video message or watch one of our favorites.
Featuring African colleagues in photo narratives. Meet Dr. Katumba and Ms. Byarugaba
Telling the story of health professional members and their recent trip to Kenya for the first Health Rights Conference in that country's history. Visit the blog.
Organizing members to comment on the proposed ban on HIV-positive travelers entering the United States. Read our statement or take action now.

World AIDS Week Event Listing

2007-11-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Next week, there will be a series of activities at the medical school designed to be a week-long commemoration of World AIDS Day (December 1st). Here's a link to the webpage with a schedule of events:

http://www.geocities.com/finding_root/AIDS_Week.html

The webpage will hopefully be updated with more events and descriptions by the end of the week.

Faculty and 3rd/4th med students--there are a few evening events that have been planned in hopes that you will be able to join us.

Cheers,

Margret

A Thanksgiving Thank You!

2007-11-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

So, a few days after my "Call to Action" post, I walked into the BMC student lounge to find this:

In all, we donated 37 cans (beans, tuna, assorted veggies), 3 tins of peanut butter, 2 jams, 5 boxes of pasta, a couple of 3-lb bags of rice, 3 packages of dried beans, a multi-pack of applesauce, and several packs of crackers and flatbreads. This is quite impressive, considering that I only gave you a few days notice before Thanksgiving Break!

So did we solve Rhode Island's poverty and food crisis? Probably not. But I think we deserve a collective pat on the back for putting forth our best small-scale effort. :-)

Hunger and food insecurity remain major challenges in Rhode Island and in other cities across the United States. As med students and physicians, we should try our best to be aware of these issues and their connection to health. If you want to find out more--or better yet, if you want to develop your own project--please visit the RI Community Food Bank website:

http://www.rifoodbank.org/matriarch/default.asp

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Margret

help needed for work on developing world health issues

2007-11-20T07:39:00.000-08:00

By David Egilman MD, MPH Clinical Associate Prof Community Health

Are you interested in assisting the development of health professional’s education throughout Africa? Global Health through Education Training and Service (GHETS) is looking for interns to assist with a number of projects including support of the newly developed African Association of Health Institutions (AAHI).

AAHI developed out of a meeting in fall 2006, where a collection of academics from health institutions discussed the fact that there is no real equivalent to the American Association of Medical Colleges in Africa. Since African medical schools (and other health education institutions like nursing schools) are so under budgeted and overstretched, having a forum for collaboration and communication would be very helpful. Institutions could benefit from collective knowledge, tools, resources and experiences available regionally instead of depending on institutions in North America and Europe.

Currently, the organization consists of a taskforce with 4 members from different regions of Africa (Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique) who, since the inception of AAHI, have met three times to write a charted and draft a grant proposal. Intern projects assisting AAHI would include assistance in identifying funding sources for AAHI, publicity for the organization so as to increase membership (currently AAHI has members from approximately 30 institutions), research for a leadership development workshop members hope to hold in the near future, and development of a website for the organization.

For more information on this and other GHETS’ programs please see the our website at www.ghets.org

To learn more about GHETS intern positions, see out posting on idealist.org:
http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Internship/115526-156
GHETS offices are easily accessible by the commuter rail in Attleboro, MA

NY Times Magazine: Third World Clinic, First World Country

2007-11-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

See below for a really thought-provoking article. Thanks to Jenny Humphrey for passing this along to us!

- Margret
--------------------

MAGAZINE November 18, 2007

Magazine: Third World Clinic, First World Country
Larry Towell/Magnum, for The New York Times

https://email.brown.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/11/18/magazine/20071118_HEALTHCARE_SLIDESHOW_index.html?ex=1195966800%26en=65574461c1507fa0%26ei=5070%26emc=eta3

Thanksgiving Call to Action

2007-11-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Check out this ProJo article, which chronicles the daunting task of social-service agencies struggling to help Rhode Islanders this year.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/TOUGH_TIMES_SUNDAY_11-18-07_NL7TAQG_v29.2547362.html

Here's an excerpt:

Jamie Cassidy, state social worker director for the Salvation Army, said fuel-oil requests are up significantly, and “we’ve also seen an extreme need in food assistance.”

Cassidy also reported that the level of donations for Thanksgiving baskets “has not even been close to what it was last year at this time” in the collection bins at Shaw’s supermarkets.

So before we all head off to enjoy our Thanksgiving holiday, let's try to do our bit to address food insecurity. Please make a food donation the next time you're at Shaw's or any other grocery store.

For med students without cars: I will be leaving a box in the BMC Student Lounge starting tomorrow (Monday) for any canned or dried foods you'd be willing to donate.

Thanks, and enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving Break!

Margret

Reminder: Register for the Pizza Brigade!

2007-11-08T01:05:00.000-08:00

The next Advocacy Pizza Brigade is less than a week away! If you haven't already, please remember to RSVP as soon as possible , or else you'll run the risk of not getting any pizza!

Again, here are the details:

When: Wednesday, November 14; 7-9 pm
Where: The house of Dr. Jody Rich; 21 Boylston Ave
Providence RI
tel 351-4996

***Please RSVP to margret_chang@brown.edu ASAP if you're interested in attending***

OUT FOR LUNCH Program: "LGBT adolescents in pediatrics"

2007-10-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Upcoming OUT FOR LUNCH Program Come join us for our Out for Lunch series! Snack and drinks will be provided. All programs are accessible.

Thursday, November 8th,
LGBTQ Resource Center, Faunce 321, Noon – 1pm
Christine Tompkins, M.D., MPH Candidate

"LGBT adolescents in pediatrics"

Her talk is on her current research study regarding how well adolescent health care providers "screen" for sexual orientation and gender identity, and how well they know the unique health risks affecting sexual minorities.

Dr. Christine Tompkins is a general academic pediatric fellow, and practicing pediatrician at the outpatient clinic at Hasbro Children's Hospital. She received her medical degree from the University of Nebraska, and did her residency training at the University of Connecticut. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health at Brown.
Out for Lunch is a midday brown-bag discussion series at the LGBTQ Resource Center, providing a safe space for discussion and learning, about matters that concern all aspects of LGBTQA life.

For more information, contact LGBTQ Resource Center @ Faunce 321, Yumi_Aikawa@brown.edu, X3-3062.

The Advocacy Pizza Brigade Returns!

2007-10-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I am pleased to announce the return of what has become a popular event. Please join us for a chance to mingle with other students and faculty and to learn more about ongoing health advocacy efforts at Brown.

When: Wednesday, November 14; 7-9 pm
Where: The house of Dr. Jody Rich;
21 Boylston Ave
Providence RI
tel 351-4996

***Please RSVP to margret_chang@brown.edu by Wednesday, November 7 if you're interested in attending***

Thanks, and I hope to see you all there!

Margret

Campaign School 2007 for Healthcare Professionals

2007-10-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Find out about "how to effect change by running for elective office or actively supporting those who do" this saturday Oct. 27th during a free (for students) daylong program hosted by the Rhode Island Medical Society. The daylong event includes such sessions as "message and media: finding your voice and knowing who hears it," or "state of the state of health care: a legislative roundtable," and the keynote speaker is Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. See the PDF below for more details! RSVP is by this wednesday, the 24th.

http://rimed.org/pdf/CampaignSchool2007.pdf

Also, check out the RIMS website for ongoing local information: www.rimed.org

Cheers,

Andy Brunner

New Mae Tao Clinic Website

2007-10-12T04:59:00.001-07:00

The Mae Tao Clinic now has a new website and the ability to accept online donations!

Please check it out if you get a chance, www.maetaoclinic.org

Peace,

Annie Thacker, RN MPH Candidate (Anne_Thacker@brown.edu)

Calling all Med Student Musicians...

2007-09-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yet another service activitiy for those wanting to get immersed in the Providence community. Check out Community Music Works, a local organization working to make a difference in the lives of children through music. They bring music lessons and other afterschool programming to kids and families on the West End and South Side--areas that have been identified as some of the poorest in Rhode Island.

Community Music Works is looking for med students who would like to serve as Music Mentors for their youth. This program requires only a few hours of commitment sprinkled throughout the month, and it's a great opportunity for those who want to get a better feel of the social and economic factors perpetuating health disparities in Rhode Island's poor. (Psst--It's opportunities like this that could be used as "service learning experiences" for those of you wanting to participate in the Scholarly Concentration in Advocacy and Activism!)

Want to get involved? They're looking mainly for students who play violin, viola, or cello. However, you can also participate by volunteering to be on their list of potential accompanists if you play piano. Email margret_chang@brown.edu if you would like more information.

Learn more about Community Music Works at: http://www.communitymusicworks.org/.

Updates: Community Service Opportunities

2007-09-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

We have an exciting community service opportunity coming up:

Chad Brown Health Center 5K Race and Wellness Fair (Saturday, September 22)

Looking for a chance to get some hands-on exposure with blood pressure and diabetes screenings? Do you want to work with underserved communities in Providence and mingle with immigrants and refugees? If you said "yes" to any of the above, your help would be much needed during the Chad Brown Race and Wellness Fair. They are looking for med students to help with health screenings during the event and will provide an orientation/training session to everyone who wants to participate.

Many Brown Med students have participated in these screenings throughout the year, and Chad Brown is now looking for a med student to serve as a "point person" to help organize these screenings. If you are interested in being a contact person or if you want more information about Chad Brown, please email Dr. Fadya El Rayess (medical director) at ferayess@chadbrownhealth.org.

Visit the Chad Brown website: http://www.chadbrownhealth.org/ to find out more!

Providence Neighborhood Tour--Saturday, September 8

2007-09-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Turns out there's a neat "neighborhood tour" on Saturday that's designed to give Brown University students a chance to learn about the Providence community. Looks like a really neat opportunity for med students too!

Here's the direct link to the website for more info:

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/scholarship/ucaapcal.shtml

Thanks,

Margret

Disturbing news on the RIte Care front...

2007-09-03T23:27:00.001-07:00

Here's an article that recently appeared in the Providence Journal regarding the effect of recent policy changes on RIte Care (RI state child health insurance). Can't say that it's a surprise, but it's a disturbing illustration of the impact a piece of legislation can have on public health...

http://www.projo.com/news/content/rite_care_decline_09-04-07_766UO58.342e937.html

Welcome Class of 2011!

2007-09-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to extend an official welcome to members of the Class of 2011 who have subscribed to the blog. This space serves as a way that you can get in contact with clinical faculty and community based organizations that may not be on any of the student listservs run by Brown University. It is also a place where people can post select articles, stories, or other informational tidbits to keep everyone "in the know" about what's happening in the Providence community or in the world of health advocacy.

BTW--Check out the "Spotlight on the Community" box for a short profile about community based organizations that are interested in partnering with med students. This box will be updated semi-regularly (approx. every 2-3 weeks).

Stay tuned for more!

Thanks,

Margret

Summer SCHIP Victories

2007-08-07T01:40:00.000-07:00

Health advocates from Brown Med have sure been busy this summer! On Thursday, July 19, Sharon David, MD 2010, joined more than 100 other chapter leaders of the American Medical School Association (AMSA) to lobby Congress for expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Just a few days ago, it became clear that their voices were heard in Capitol Hill as the Senate voted 68-31 to pass the SCHIP bill.

It is worth hoping that one small step for SCHIP will translate to more success for state programs such as RIte Care--the state health insurance program that Brown Med students have lobbied for throught the 2006-2007 academic year.

Here's a news link to the SCHIP story, in case people missed it.

http://www.philly.com/philly/health_and_science/20070803_Senate_passes_bill_to_expand_SCHIP_care.html

For more info on the American Medical Student Association, please see:

http://www.amsa.org

What Motivates Us to Get Involved in Advocacy?

2007-08-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

Read about Dr. Scott Allen's inspiring personal story in this article released by the Providence Journal on August 6, 2007.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/SCOTT_ALLEN_TORTURE_REPORT_08-06-07_6A6KAHA.2b8e80b.html

Comments? What are some of the personal stories behind the health advocacy issues that we're passionate about?

Brown Med Health Advocates in the News

2007-08-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

More exciting activity on the Brown Med health advocacy front! Check out this article in the 8/3/07 edition of the Providence Journal. The article features the efforts of Dr. Scott Allen, clinical assistant professor at Brown and a member of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), who was lead medical author in an incriminating report about the effects of the CIA's "enhanced" interrogation techniques.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/TORTURE_REPORT_08-03-07_TM6JRP2.38b7410.html

The article also mentions that 6 medical students helped out with the report. Though their names were not mentioned in the article, they are listed here for sake of completeness:

Peter Chai, MD 2010
Margret Chang, MD 2010
Amy Hsu, MD 2010
Sareh Rajaee, MD 2010
Jack Rusley, MD 2009
Robert Velasco, MD 2010

Congratulations to Dr. Allen and his team of students!

Brown Med Health Advocates in the News

2007-07-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

On Monday, July 23, the Providence Journal ran a front-page story about the Scholarly Concentration curriculum at the Warren Alpert Medical School. The article features a nice profile of Juan Vasquez, who is currently pursuing a concentration in Advocacy and Activism. If you want a nice example of medical advocacy in action, check this out:

http://www.projo.com/news/content/BROWNMED_07-23-07_HA6EH08.2afba82.html

Congrats Juan!

P.S. If any one out there is doing cool advocacy-related work over the summer, feel free to post to the blog. :-)

RIte Care Hearing: Action Alert

2007-05-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow, there will finally be a hearing for Representative Diaz's bill to restore the cuts made to RIte care. For all of us who have put time and effort into making signs, rallying, and lobbying, this will be a great opportunity to provide a last bit of support for the bill and listen to testimony from our very Dan Schwarz, along with other local physicians and activists.

If anyone would like to come and show your support for the bill and for Dan please meet me (Juan) at the BMC tomorrow at 12:15 pm. As medical students we will be in the audience wearing our white coats and basically demonstrating our support. Hearings will take place between 1:00-4:00 pm but we are not exactly sure when the RIte care bill will be heard.

If anyone would like to meet us there instead of meeting in the BMC just show up to the Trainer hearing room (RM 35) by 1pm.

Thanks for all the help and we hope to see you tomorrow.

-Juan Vasquez

Brown Med Health Advocates in the News

2007-05-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

This week saw the publication of two op-eds in the Providence Journal that were written by Brown Med faculty and students. For those who don't get the paper version of the "ProJo," here are the links to the articles:

Monday, May 14, 2007

Rich and Ghazal: Protect Whitmarsh Clinic’s vital role
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_rich11_05-11-07_I45FL9V.1cbdbd2.html

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Margret Chang: Still living with the ‘Killing Fields’
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_chang16_05-16-07_CE5JAIF.1c2a80e.html

Pizza Brigade is On!

2007-05-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Good news--we're having another Pizza Brigade!

What: A return of what has become a popular event for faculty and students involved in health advocacy. This time, the focus of the evening will be on learning about the exciting work being done by students. So--come to the Pizza Brigade to share your story, hear what's going on, and catch up with friends / faculty members!

(Psst...If you're a first year who's taking over a student organization next year, you should definitely think about coming to this.)

When: Wednesday, May 9; 7-9 pm

Where: The house of Dr. David Lewis; 165 Blackstone Blvd. (white house with red shutters)

Directions from Brown University to 165 Blackstone Blvd.
(2 routes)

1) Waterman to Butler Avenue;
Left on Butler Avenue which becomes Blackstone Blvd.

2) Lloyd Avenue to Blackstone Blvd.;
Left on Blackstone Blvd.

You can reach Dr. Lewis at 351-8721 if you get lost.

Thanks,

Margret

P.S. Please RSVP if you haven't already so I know how much pizza to get. Send an email to margret_chang@brown.edu.

The Global Threat of HIV Among Women...

2007-05-02T14:45:00.001-07:00

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/BRUNAP/00281.pdf

See the above link. This weekend, May 4th-6th, Brown is hosting a symposium that includes a number of well known speakers, several panel discussions, and a photo exhibit.

I encourage all to attend (free meals included!)

-Dave

Pizza Brigade on Wednesday, May 9--Please RSVP if interested!

2007-05-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Thanks to those who voted on the pizza poll. From the results, it looks like Wednesday, May 9 is the preferred date. However, since only 5 people voted, I'm still trying to gauge if people are really interested in participating.

For those who are new to this blog, the Pizza Brigade is a return of what has become a popular event. Please join us for a chance to mingle with other students and faculty and to learn more about ongoing health advocacy efforts at Brown.

Please RSVP to margret_chang@brown.edu by Sunday, May 6 (this weekend) if you would like to come.

Thanks,

Margret

YouDecideRI! New WATCHDOG Website Unveiled on Women's Health Privacy

2007-04-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

http://YouDecideRI.blogspot.com : New Website Targeted at the Proposed 24hr Waiting Period Legislation in the RI General Assembly and other Imminent Threats to Women's Health Privacy.

Did you know that in Rhode Island's democratically-controlled legislature,ONLY 12 out of 75 representatives and ONLY 10 out of 38 senators are pro-choice?

Don't let anti-choice legislators decide what is best for you:
We hope YOU will Decide, RI! http://YouDecideRI.blogspot.com

Right now, the Rhode Island General Assembly is considering a mandatory Waiting Period Bill that would seriously undermine physician autonomy and women's rights. This bill requires doctors to provide biased information to women considering an abortion. Furthermore, this bill mandates a 24-hour waiting period before performing an abortion, which will lead to later term, and therefore more dangerous and costly abortions.

Visit our website to learn more about this bill and how to hold your elected officials accountable for votes that impact the lives and well-being of women and girls in Rhode Island. Find Your Elected Officials; Register to Vote and Find Out How To Regsiter to Vote if you are a Student.

To learn more about this bill and about how to make a difference in the lives of women and girls in Rhode Island, please visit http://YouDecideRI.Blogspot.com .

YouDecideRI is a new initiative designed by three Brown Master of Public Health students and a Brown undergraduate student, we look forward to your comments and suggestions. Please feel free to email us youdecideri@gmail.com

of possible interest...

2007-04-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Subject: A Gathering of Brown Alumni Activists
Sunday, Smith Buonanno 106, 1-4pm
Organized by students of ET107: Strategy, Tactics & Tools for Social Change
Join ET107 for a panel discussion and workshops with dynamic alums working for social justice in RI. Presenters include Direct Action for Rights & Equality, Learning Community Charter School, Literacy Resources/RI, Providence Black Repertory Company, Providence Youth Student Movement, Southside Community Land Trust, Youth in Action, and HUD's Tenant Organizing Project

Dr. Jim Kim to Speak at Brown

2007-04-26T00:52:00.000-07:00

Brown+Activism

A Conference organized by students of ET 107: Strategy, Tactics and Tools for Social Change Friday, April 27 Breakfast with Dr. Jim Yong Kim '88 8-10am Third World Center Formal Lounge

Dr. Kim, MD, PhD, has been recognized on numerous occasions as a global leader and distinguished professional, including being awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship in 2003; being named one of America's 25 best leaders by US News & World Report in 2005; and being named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2006. He was a contributing editor to the 2003 and 2004 World Health Report, and his edited volume Dying for Growth: Global Inequity and the Health of the Poor analyzes the effects of economic and political change on health outcomes in developing countries. Dr. Kim is the director of the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, and Professor of Medicine and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Health Policy and Advocacy Course

2007-04-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is an exciting week at Brown. Not only are the magnolias blooming on the Main Green, it is PREREGISTRATION!

I thought you all would be interested in Dr. Lewis's graduate seminar, PHP2720 Health Policy and Advocacy. It is open to medical students. Through guest speakers, field trips, class activities, and an independent advocacy campaign project, students will develop solid backgrounds in health policy and advocacy through practice, not just theory.

I encourage you to go look at the Banner entry for the class. Registration is restricted, so if you are interested, please email Dr. Lewis (David_Lewis@brown.edu) by next Monday and include your banner code. If you have questions about the course, email me Amity_Quinn@brown.edu.

-Amity

Donations to Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand

2007-04-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

We are two Brown University Master of Public Health students who have been accepted to go spend a summer at Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand. The clinic is located in Mae Sot, on the western border between Thailand and Burma. We will be working with the clinic’s 5 physicians, 100 health workers and 40 support staff to provide free and much needed medical care to an estimated 150,000 refugees, immigrants, landmine victims, and abandoned children, all of whom have been displaced by socio-political oppression, civil war and poverty.

We are writing to let you know about Project Mae Tao, a medical supply drive we are organizing in an effort to bring items that are either too expensive or not available for purchase to the clinic this summer. Mae Tao has provided us with a list, and we are inviting local and affiliated hospitals/clinics to donate specific medical items that require clinical supervision and items that are needed in bulk.

How can YOU help? The clinic is also in need of items that could easily be purchased in a drug store or wholesale stores, or things that might be sitting in your basement not being used. Here are some of them:

- Powder/tablet oral rehydration therapy (HydraLife, Gatorade, etc.)
- Over-the-counter supplements (multivitamins, iron, zinc, calcium, etc.)
- Sterile gauze, bandages, gloves, masks
- Stethoscope (Littman)
- Clinical methods books (History taking and Physical exams)
- Obstetric picture books
- Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine
- Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine
- Pharmacology and Medicines books
- The Merck Manual
- Physician’s desktop reference books
- Medical dictionaries (English, English-Thai)

If you are unsure of what to donate, or have any questions about the drive, please feel free to contact either one of us. We will be sending out more information in the next couple weeks with dates, times, and locations for drop-offs. For more information about the clinic, please visit: www.maetaoclinic.org

Thank you in advance for your support. Please help us bring hope to the Mae Tao Clinic.

Peace,

Annie Thacker RN, MPH candidate (Anne_Thacker@brown.edu)
Yumi Aikawa MPH candidate (Yumi_Aikawa@brown.edu)

Free Health fair for Providence Community

2007-04-19T03:57:00.000-07:00

WHAT: Free Health fair for Providence Community
WHEN: Saturday April 21 10:00am - 3:00pm
WHERE: The Salvation Army, 386 Broad Street, Providence
WHO: All are welcome and encouraged to attend

The annual health fair, sponsored by Brown Medical students, will be held on Saturday, April 21 at the Salvation Army on Broad St. It is one of the medical school largest outreach events, an opportunity for Providence community members to get valuable health screenings, including blood pressure, lead tests, blood sugar, and HIV testing, while at the same time interacting with various local health and wellness advocacy organizations. Representatives from numerous organizations, including those related to nutrition, domestic violence, substance abuse, family planning, and MORE, will be represented. This is an important event for the community. It has in the past been a tremendous success and promises to be even better this year than it has before. This health fair will ultimately help to empower our communities to be proactive about their health. Free food, raffle prizes, music and games for the children promise to make for a fun and informative experience for the whole family.

Please come out and support and encouarage others to do the same.
THANK YOU!

-Emily

Patient Advocacy Coordinating Council meeting

2007-04-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last PACC meeting of the year

This Friday, April 20th

12 pm

BioMed Center room 217

Lunch will be served

The Patient Advocacy Coordinating Council (PACC) has as its mission the formation of socially responsible physicians. This is accomplished by fostering opportunities for patient advocacy in the Brown Medical School curriculum and extra-curricular student life. The main avenue for promoting advocacy is helping develop, funding, and collaborating with medical student projects, programs, and organizations that have patient advocacy as the principal objective. PACC is comprised of representatives from existing medical school organizations and its meetings are open to all interested students. PACC may also organize its own events to promote training in advocacy, organizational management, and/or to educate medical students about conditions faced by various populations of patients.

To this end, PACC seeks to connect Brown medical students with community organizations working to address the needs of underserved and marginalized segments of the surrounding Rhode Island community. An additional goal is to foster cooperation among BMS student organizations around patient & community advocacy. Seed grants of up to $500 per project per semester are available to support student-initiated advocacy projects.

Questions? Please contact Kirsten@brown.edu or Margret_Chang@brown.edu. Hope to see you there!

Universal Health Care

2007-04-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

There is an opportunity for a few med students to attend a strategic session about changing the system of health care in Rhode Island for the better. Note the "save the date" letter below.

Dear Colleague,
The three of us - David Lewis, Steve Smith, and Nick Tsiongas - invite you to attend an informational session on an exciting plan that can bring universal health care to Rhode Island. The event is being co-sponsored by the National Physicians Alliance and Ocean State Action and will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, at the home of David and Elly Lewis, 165 Blackstone Boulevard, in Providence. Brunch will be served.

Please save the date. We will be sending you a more detailed formal invitation soon. Please respond to this email with a postal address where you would like us to send the invitation. Also, if you have a different email address that you would like us to use, please let us know.

We hope to see you on May 20.

David, Nick, and Steve

The National Physicians Alliance is founded to restore physicians' primary emphasis on the core values of our profession: service, integrity, and advocacy. Ocean State Action is advocacy organization consisting of a wide range of coalition partners working for equality, justice, universal health care, and the common good in Rhode Island.

It would be ideal if 5-6 students were interested, perhaps some of you who worked on RIte Care advocacy. If you want to attend please send me an email and I will make sure that you receive a formal letter of invitation.
David_Lewis@Brown.edu

Next Pizza Brigade--May ???

2007-04-17T03:37:00.000-07:00

This is just a reminder to vote for the date of the next Pizza Brigade on our poll (scroll down the blog to find it). The poll will be closed on Friday, April 20, so please make sure to cast your vote soon!

Breeze Against Wheeze Announcement

2007-04-17T03:34:00.000-07:00

Breeze Against Wheeze will be holding a 5K Run/3K Walk and Kids' Race on Saturday April, 28th 2007. Proceeds will be used to send kids with asthma to the Community Asthma Program's Asthma Camp organized by the Hasbro Children's Hospital.

The run starts at Pembroke Field (located at the corner of Hope St and Cushing St) and check-in time is at 8:30 AM.

For online registration and more information, please visit http://bms.brown.edu/students/breeze.

Queer Med Celebrates National Day of Silence

2007-04-17T03:26:00.001-07:00

Hello Fellow Health Advocates!

This Wednesday, April 18, is the National Day of Silence, which is “an annual event held to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools.” In its truest form, teachers and students take a vow of silence for the entire day to echo the silence that lgbtq and ally students face everyday. Because we recognize that taking a vow of silence isn’t the most practical thing for a medical student to do (although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt sometimes :-)), QueerMed is asking all of you to help us recognize the silence that lgbtqa folks face on a daily basis by WEARING BLACK on Wednesday if you or anybody you know has experienced homophobia in your life. This is a simple yet powerful message that allows us all to stand in solidarity in recognizing the discrimination that lgbtqa folks face.

As somebody who still experiences homophobia in my life, it would mean a lot to me to see you wearing black this Wednesday.

Please consider participating. For more information on the National Day of Silence, you can visit their website at http://www.dayofsilence.org/ or simply respond with any questions that you may have.

On a separate and more uplifting note, QueerMed would like to invite you to celebrate pride month by attending the next Queer Grad/Med Wine and Cheese Social, this Friday night from 7-9pm in the LGBTQ Resource Center (Faunce House, Room 321). We hope that you can make it!

As always, we appreciate all of your support.

Jason and Andrea

Drug Policy Conference

2007-04-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Brown University Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be hosting the Northeast Regional SSDP Conference this weekend to discuss the failure of the War on Drugs and policy alternatives. Students will hear from speakers such as former Rhode Island senator Lincoln Chaffee, international drug policy reform leader Ethan Nadelmann, Brown Professor Glenn Loury, and noted author Daniel Pinchbeck. In addition, the conference will feature panel discussions and activist workshops.

A panel that may be interest to all of you is "Health System and Policy Reform" on Saturday, April 14th 11:30am-12:45pm in Macmillan 117. Drs. David Lewis and Jody Rich are part of the panel which will discuss how medical professionals and politicians can work together to change drug policy from a punitive to a medical paradigm.

The full schedule is available at http://ssdp.org/northeast.

Hope to see some of you there!

-Amity

Brown Amnesty International Events

2007-04-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Interested in human rights, war, torture, or detainee health? If so, check out the Brown Amnesty International web site for more information on their April event series "The America I Believe In: Human Rights and the War on Terror." Here's a brief sampling:

"Guantanamo and Beyond - US Lawlessness in the 'War on Terror'" Address by Jumana Musa Monday, April 9. Barus & Holley 166. 7pm

Talk by Susan Burke and Screening of the Film "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib." Tuesday, April 10. MacMillan Hall 115. 7:30pm

"War, Violence and States of Exception" Discussion with Professor Bogues. Wednesday, April 11. Joukowsky Forum, 111 Thayer Street. 7:30pm

Visit their web site: http://students.brown.edu/AI/

Is Health Advocacy "Sexy?"

2007-04-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, now that I've gotten your attention, I have to admit that this post is only very indirectly about sex.

Last Wednesday, Brown University was host to a presentation by Dr. Les Roberts, lead author of a Lancet study that estimates 655,000 Iraqi deaths since the 2003 American invasion of Iraq. This number is in stark contrast with the latest Pentagon count of 50,000 Iraqi civilian dead, and as such, it has generated much controversy--resulting in a public rejection by the Bush administration even as reports emerge of the British government acknowledging the study's accuracy.

Oddly enough, this controversy is one that's been largely ignored by the American press...

Roberts made many interesting points during his lecture at Brown, but some of his best insights came during the long question and answer session that followed. "Mortality statistics aren't a very sexy topic, he admitted. "It's what I call a fundamental topic--a category that includes activities of daily living, number of births, and the quality of our health care. The press is simply not very interested in covering 'fundamentals,' but unfortunately, these topics are really what society should be concerned about."

I thought this comment was particularly relevant for everyone involved in health advocacy. After all, it seems that we spend every waking moment involved with 'fundamentals'--i.e., taking care of the sick and making sure the healthy stay well. Yet, the success of our efforts to raise public awareness or to effect social change is very much linked to our ability to make a fundamental topic "sexy" enough to catch media attention. As Roberts' experience shows, even the most groundbreaking data can quickly be buried and ignored if this media outreach fails to take place.

The solution for making a fundamental topic "sexier" is nothing new. Indeed, Roberts mentioned that pictures and stories will always speak louder than statistical data and that this point holds true for the media and the public. As health advocates, it is very important that we don't forget this crucial fact. The truth is, we need to become more skilled at documenting and chronicling our experiences in the clinic or in everyday encounters related to health. Until we do so, the issues and patients we advocate for risk being forgotten and ignored by the public and the decision makers we need to reach.

-Margret

To view Dr. Les Roberts' lecture, please visit: https://email.brown.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://watsoninstitute.org/news_detail.cfm?id=599

Putting a Face on the Uninsured

2007-04-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, a physician by the name of Dr. Perry Klaassen made headlines for writing an essay in the March 14th edition of JAMA that compared his own experience with colon cancer with that of one of his patients. His story was simple but poignant. Klaassen had health insurance and survived his bout with cancer. His patient, Shirley Searcy, had no health insurance and died a year and a half after her diagnosis.

Klaassen's story is not new. But before you start wondering why the AP News Wire chose to feature it, just remember that his perspective--that of a physician comparing his illness experience with a patient's--is still relatively rare.

The take home message to med students, physicians, and other health professionals? Simple. Speak out and write about your personal experience and struggles with health care. We're all patients at one time or another, so let's use that to our advantage...

To read about Perry Klaassen:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/04/uninsured.dead.ap/index.html

***Note: Are you inspired by Dr. Klaassen? If so, go out and help lobby the state legislature to restore cuts to the RIte Care program for kids without health insurance! The lobby date is on Wednesday, April 11. ***

Please see the Advocacy Events Calendar for more information about the RIte Care lobby:
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=brownhelpinghand%40gmail.com

Hidden Lessons from the Advocacy Pizza Brigade

2007-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of hours ago, I was on the phone with Dr. David Lewis, a professor in Brown's Program of Public Health and the host of the next Pizza Brigade, when he made the following remark about past advocacy pizza gatherings:

"It's all well and good for faculty to keep on talking and spinning their wheels about their own advocacy work, but I don't feel like I've gotten the chance to hear about what students are up to. We need to do a better job shifting the focus back on students."

Sure, it's a fair enough comment--one that made me think back to all the reasons why it's tough for student advocates to talk about what they do or why they're interested in certain issues. For one thing, health advocacy is such a broad field, encompassing everything from problems in the clinic to challenges at an economic, social, or political level. In addition, it seems like there's always something to learn or some action to take, and with so much going on, things can easily get overwhelming. And of course, there's always the dampening effect that exams and class projects have on anything unrelated to schoolwork. With all the responsibilites that come along with being a student, who has time to reflect on the systemic changes that need to be made to help the uninsured patient at the free clinic or to get more people to stop smoking?

Yet, such reflection, whether you write it down or keep it in your head, is crucial. At the very least, it can help you figure out more precisely what you're interested in--much less how to talk about it. Learning how to tell people about abstract ideas and half-baked projects can be tough to do, but it is certainly a useful skill that will make you a better advocate for whatever cause you choose.

As students, we're introduced to health advocacy-related issues everywhere--in the classroom, the clinic, and even in our day-to-day interactions with other people. Be aware when some issue catches your attention, and remember to ask yourself why you're so interested in it. This will not only help you talk about your ideas, but also open the door for students and faculty to identify ways to help you with your work.

So after this long-winded post, I want to leave everyone (particularly other students) with two points:

1) Come to the Advocacy Pizza Brigade (see my earlier post). You get free food and a chance to practice talking about your ideas with other student and faculty health advocates.

2) Take a minute to reflect on personal experiences that have shaped your interests and the course you'd like to take as a health advocate. Feel free to share these thoughts with others.

That's all for now. Hope to see some of you on April 12!

- Margret

Advocacy Updates

2007-04-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

1) Advocacy Pizza Brigade

A return of what has become a popular event. Please join us for a chance to mingle with other students and faculty and to learn more about ongoing health advocacy efforts at Brown.

When: Thursday, April 12; 7-9 pm
Where: The house of Dr. David Lewis; 165 Blackstone Blvd. (white house with red shutters)

***Please RSVP to margret_chang@brown.edu by Friday, April 6 if you're interested in attending***

2) Advocacy Concentration Meeting

This meeting is for those who have decided to pursue a Scholarly Concentration in Advocacy. We will be updating each other on our individual projects as well as deciding what sorts of workshops and advocacy experiences to participate in as a group. Faculty and upperclassmen are also welcome to come.
When: Wednesday, April 18 at 4-5 pm (potential date and time)
Where: TBA

***Please email me if you can come or if you'd like me to try to change the date***