Two important Career Services events next week!
Recruiter Panel- Wednesday, Oct. 30th from 5-5:50 in R103. Panelists include: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Quintiles (Consulting Division) and Pathfinders International. Seats are limited. To register, go to the “Info Sessions” section of the Event area in SPH CareerLink.
“How to Work the APHA Conference” Workshop-Thursday, Oct. 31st at 5:00 in the Career Center (Talbot 113 East). The focus of this event is to help students navigate the upcoming November APHA annual conference. To register, go to the “Workshop” section of the Event area in SPH CareerLink.
Two internationally focused environmental health seminars you do not want to miss!
1. November 1: noon-1pm L210
Title: “Improving Environmental Management in Peru: An Introduction”
Speaker: Rossana Rivas
Project Manager, Biomedical Engineering, Innovation and Technology Management for the Office of the Presidency/Vice-presidency for Research Office, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru-PUCP
Professor and Researcher: School of Engineering & Sciences, Biomedical Engineering Master Program, Social Management Master Program, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru-PUCP; Health Public School, Policy and Management Master of Science Technology and Innovation, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia-UPCH
Co-Founder & Executive Director- Health Technopole CENGETS PUCP, Cluster of Health Technology Management and Clinical Engineering
Summary:
Peru experienced in recent years "socio-environmental conflicts" because of the increased mining activity, raising concerns among the population, mainly because the land used for its operations was the same used ancestrally by the Communities. It is noteworthy that the population is characterized by: high level of illiteracy, agricultural activities, location high above the sea level. Regarding environmental pollution, their main concern is around water and land, basic resources for their livelihoods.
The risk of heavy metal pollution both in Lima and in the Andean region has become a priority for the Government's attention. The actions in this regard are insufficient however. Two cases are presented, one in the north of Lima and one in Espinar province of Cusco. Some factors to consider in the process of a necessary change are: i) improvement of environmental policy design from the government; ii) capacity development; iii) technology transfer; iv) promotion of research.
2. November 8: noon-1pm L210
Title: “Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the Western Cape, South Africa: Multiple exposures in a particularly vulnerable population, and what to do about it?”
Speaker: Leslie London, MD
Professor, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town and Associate Director of the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Research,
http://www.coehr.uct.ac.za/staff/staff_london.php
Summary:
Rural farming communities in the Western Cape province of South Africa are a vulnerable community who experience a diversity of hazardous exposures. One particular phenomenon that captures this conundrum is that of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS has been reported in 5 to 10% of school-going children in the province, which are rates that are the highest in the world, much higher than even so-called high-risk populations in North America. The direct antecedent of FAS, alcohol consumption in pregnancy, is itself a product of multiple behavioural, social and historical factors related to alcohol consumption by workers in agriculture in the region. However, consumption of alcohol during pregnancy may not be sufficient to explain these tremendously high rates, since the alcohol consumption of Western Cape mothers with FAS children is not as high as in other high-risk populations. There may thus be other factors common in this population which contribute individually, or synergistically, to increased risk of intra-uterine damage. Candidate exposures include pesticides, smoking and toxic contaminants within cheap wine drunk in the Western Cape, and genetic and nutritional deficits may also interact in the genesis of a public health calamity of this scale. Understanding the aetiology of the FAS epidemic in its fullest dimensions in the Western Cape, using the full range of exposure science characterization, is critical to successful interventions to reduce the burden of disease due to FAS in the region, particularly given that community-based interventions and upstream public health policies are likely to be the mainstay of FAS prevention.
Reading:
1. London L, Mazok H, Adams H, Parry C. If the alcohol doesn’t get you, then the toxins will:
The health impacts of bulk wine provision in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Poster presented to the American Public Health Association conference, Nov 2006.
[Source document is Henn C, Adam H, London L. (2005). The impact of bulk wine on Western Cape communities. Report to the Department of Economic Development and Tourism. DOPSTOP, Stellenbosch – available on request.]
Other background reading:
1. Morojele NK, London L, Olorunju SA, Matjila J, Davids AS, Rendall-Mkosi KM. Predictors of Risk of Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies among Women in an Urban and a Rural Area of South Africa. SocSci Med 2010;70: 534-42.
2. May PA, Gossage JP, Marais AS, et al.The epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome and partial FAS in a South African community. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2007 May 11;88(2-3):259-71.
Optional Reading
1. Rendall-Mkosi K, London L, Adnams C, Morojele N, McLoughlin J, Goldstone C. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in South Africa: Situational and Gap Analysis. Unicef, Pretoria, March 2008. http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SAF_resources_fetalalcohol.pdf
2. London L. Alcohol consumption amongst South African farm workers: a post-apartheid challenge. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2000 ; 59 : 199-206.Topic: Differentiating the Impacts of Alcohol and Alcohol Contaminant Exposures in Promoting Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Info Session for AMOS Health and Hope, Nicaragua November 5th!
On Tuesday, November 5, from 5-5:45pm The Medical Director at AMOS Health and Hope, Laura Chanchien Parajón, MD, MPH will be on campus to discuss practicum/internship opportunities with her organization.
AMOS Health and Hope is a Christian Organization “which seeks to take action to help address the problems of poverty, disease and preventable deaths. We are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people who suffer from the unjust conditions of poverty. Our programs respond to community-identified needs and build upon community strengths. Our mission is to improve the health of impoverished communities by working alongside them in health, education and development. We currently serve in Nicaragua.”
Location: Talbot Board Room, 302C
Date & Time: Tuesday, 11/5 , 5-5:45pm
Sera Bonds, BUSPH Alum and founder of Circle of Health International, speaking October 25th
http://www.bu.edu/careers/about-us/calendar/?eid=145763
How To Make a Living Doing What You Love
Starts: 3:00 pm on Friday, October 25, 2013
Ends: 4:00 pm on Friday, October 25, 2013
Location: BU Center for Career Development (100 Bay State Road, 6th Floor)
While finishing her masters degree in public health, Sera Bonds (SPH ’04) founded Circle of Health International (COHI). Linking physicians, midwives, trauma specialists, and public health professionals, COHI forms international field teams that work with women and their communities in times of conflict and disaster to ensure access to reproductive, maternal, and newborn care. COHI has been active in Afghanistan, Haiti, Israel, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Tibet, and hurricane-stricken Louisiana.
For her work with COHI, Bonds is returning to BU to receive the prestigious Young Alumni Award. Come hear her talk about the role of small non-profits in humanitarian aid, the various positions available in these organizations, and how to make a living doing what you love.
Intern for Betasab in Ethiopia, in Spring 2014, apply by Nov. 6
Betasab, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn, New York and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our goals are to:
• Provide vulnerable Ethiopian women and children with the means to a secure future through a holistic package of services
• Empower women by providing infrastructure for income-generating activities
• Stop the cycle of poverty and lack of education in the Lafto neighborhood ofAddis Ababa
We seek a talented public health intern to help us conduct a follow-up assessment to see if and how the needs of our neighborhood have changed, determine, if possible, the extent our programming has led to improvements seen in the area. We also want to continue the quality-of-life improvements our women have made by building infrastructure so that they and other local women can take their financial futures into their own hands through income-generating activities.
See a more complete scope of work BUSPH Betasab Spring 2014 practicum.
Communicating Key Elements of the Affordable Care Act: Panel Discussion followed by Q&A
Communicating Key Elements of the Affordable Care Act: Panel Discussion followed by Q&A
Friday, October 25th, 12:00pm - 2:00pm in L110
This panel will consist of individuals with backgrounds across the spectrum of health care services.
Our hope is to have students and community members leave the panel discussion with a greater sense of how to communicate the key aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the general public. Our goal is to make this event an open forum for questions regarding the ACA.
Please register HERE: https://acapanel.eventbrite.com/
Rotaract Meeting with Professor Glantz to learn about the IRB process, all students interested in research welcome to attend
Rotaract Mtg with Prof Glantz: The IRB Process
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 5:00PM - 5:50PM
Join us at our Rotaract meeting to learn more about our upcoming service and fellowship events including volunteering at the Vegetarian Food Festival. We'll also have Professor Leonard Glantz, a member of the BMC IRB board, speak about the IRB process. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in public health reasearch. This is also a good skill to have for many practicum opportunities. As always, food will be provided. Â Hope to see you there!
