2008 GlobeMed Global Health Summit
A Generational Calling: Solidarity in Global Health | April 3-5, 2008
For two and a half days, over 90 students from 15 campuses across the US came together at Northwestern University to learn about global health, strategize about how to improve GlobeMed's efforts to impact health around the world, and share inspiration and energy with each other.
Ed Cardoza from Partners In Health
Ed Cardoza, VP of Development at Partners in Health, started the weekend appropriately with an inspiring and thought-provoking discussion on the concept of "solidarity" and how people should relate with challenges of poverty and injustice on a human, inter-personal level. A panel on Friday morning with speakers from Opportunity International, Global Fund for Women, and Concern America allowed participants to learn more deeply about community-based approaches to global health - the dialogue that emerged from the panel allowed students to translate their ideas from Cardoza's talk into actionable strategies when working directly with community organizations.
Dr. Neeraj Mistry from the Global Business Coalition
Dr. Neeraj Mistry from the Global Business Coalition delivered an impressive lecture that captured a wide array of topics in global health, focusing on the importance of "process" in problem-solving and using stories and anecdotes along the way to inspire all those who attended the event. Dr. Julian Atim, founder of Students for Equity in Health Care (an student-driven advocacy group based in Kampala, Uganda), spoke to students about her journey in Uganda to become a leading young activist.
Saturday focused on GlobeMed-related workshops and breakouts, with student leaders discussing challenges, sharing best practices, and forging stronger paths forward for their chapters and the broader network. The Summit ended with an evening dinner and keynote by Dr. Evan Lyon, who has worked with Partners in Health in Haiti for eleven years. His wisdom and messages regarding student engagement in global health provided a great end to an energizing weekend!
Jon Shaffer from GlobeMed at Northwestern presents at the Project Fair
Throughout the course of the weekend, students also participated in many other notable programs, such as "Roundtable" discussions, a documentary screening produced by recent NU alumni, and a Project Exhibition that featured chapter projects from across the world. With the ideas and energy generated from the Summit, all the individual participants, chapters, and the broader GlobeMed network will be able to advance our collective efforts and make a deeper impact in the health of communities across the world.
GlobeMed members Ron Li and Ankur Asthana discuss global health
Some reflections on the Summit from students:
"The Summit definitely gave me a greater motivation and driving force to be a better leader knowing the network that I am a part of. Also, the speakers and workshops really reinforced a lot of the reasons why I am a part of GlobeMed."
"The summit inspired, re-invigorated, and introduced me to many new ideas. It is nice to see the energy and passion that so many people share."
"For me, it was a revitalizing experience, which reaffirms my dedication to working towards equity in global health, because I see our efforts catching hold. I see the model working. I see the excitement and enthusiasm, but also the necessary self criticism and humility spreading throughout the newer and older GlobeMed chapters. I have no doubt that this is the generation of young people to change the the face of global health and that GlobeMed is the vehicle through which to do it. It was an incredible experience and I think that GlobeMed definitely has a bright future."