Conference Calls and Radio Shows of Interest

Our very own Mini Murthy and Elvira Beracochea are co-hosting a radio show on the MDGs! The inaugural episode aired last week, but you can listen to it in the archives and tune in for future episodes. They will be on every Thursday at 12 p.m. EST. More information can be found below.

Millennium Development Goals: Progress and Challenges

A NEW AND EXCITING PROGRAM DEBUTS THIS WEEK ON AV RADIO
PROGRAM: Millennium Development Goals
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION: Millennium Development Goals: Progress and Challenges
PLEASE JOIN THIS WEEK’S DISCUSSION LIVE BY PHONE OR SKYPE
WHEN: THURSDAY, MARCH 15TH, 2012
TIME: 12: 00 P.M. to 1: 00 P.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME
TO PARTICIPATE BY PHONE: CALL THIS NUMBER DURING SHOWTIME: (760) 283-0850
TO JOIN BY SKYPE ADD: AFRICANVIEWS (CALL IN DURING SHOWTIME)

TOPIC’S BACKGROUND:

In 2000, 189 nations made a promise to free people from extreme poverty and multiple deprivations. This pledge became the eight Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015. The MDGs provide a framework for the entire UN system to work coherently together toward a common end. UNDP, global development network on the ground in 177 countries and territories, is in a unique position to advocate for change, connect countries to knowledge and resources, and coordinate broader efforts at the country level. In September 2010, the world recommitted itself to accelerate progress towards these goals.

The declaration established eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and time-bound targets by which progress can be measured. With the 2015 deadline looming, how much progress has been made? And is the pace of progress sufficient to achieve the goals? The MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators.

In our inaugural episode we hope to give a brief over view of the progress and challenges made from the year 2000- 2005 and focus on Sub Saharan Africa to review the progress made with reference to MDGs 1 and 4.

Join us as we explore this very important topic on MDGs.

HOST: DR. PADMINI MURTHY
Padmini (Mini) Murthy is a physician and an activist who did her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has practiced medicine in various countries. She has a Master’s in Public Health and a Masters in Management from New York University (NYU). Murthy has been on the Dean’s list at NYU stein hart School of Education and named Public service scholar at the Robert F Wagner Graduate School at New York University. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist.

CO-HOST: DR. ELVIRA BERACOCHEA
Elvira Beracochea, MD, MPH, has more than 25 years of experience that encompass her work as physician, public health and international development expert, human rights advocate, epidemiologist, health policy advisor, researcher, health systems and hospital manager, consultant, professor and coach. She has worked in over 30 countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the South Pacific. Dr Elvira is committed to helping realize the right to health and the right to development and to improving the effectiveness of development assistance. For this reason, in 2005, she founded MIDEGO, an organization with an urgent rights-based mission: accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approved by the United Nations in the year 2000.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Millennium Development Goal is a weekly discussion on AV Radio based on the Millennium Declaration, adopted by all 189 United Nations Member States in 2000, promised a better world with less poverty, hunger and disease; a world in which mothers and children have a greater chance of surviving and of receiving an education, and where women and girls have the same opportunities as men and boys. It promised a healthier environment and greater cooperation-a world in which developed and developing countries work in partnership for the betterment of all.

LISTEN TO THIS RADIO PROGRAM ARCHIVES AT: http://www.africanviews.org/index.php/av-radio/av-radio/AV-Radio/womens-education_c1021_m157/


Next month, APHA’s Trade and Health Forum will be holding an open Educational Session on Tobacco and International Trade Agreements. It will take place on April 12 at 2:30 PM Pacific/5:30PM Eastern.

The first 30 minutes of the call will be an educational session about recent activity pertaining to alcohol and tobacco in trade agreements and the question of “carve outs”. Donald Zeigler, PhD, Director of Prevention and Healthy Lifestyles at the American Medical Association (AMA) will lead the session. Dr. Zeigler has been active in the Trade and Health Forum, representing the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Section of the American Public Health Association and has been interested in trade and health issues for almost a decade. He was instrumental in getting the AMA to adopt policy on trade and has worked with other medical specialty societies to adopt policy, as well. The AMA recently called on the US Trade Representative to carve out tobacco and alcohol from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
The second 30 minutes of the call will be dedicated to Trade and Health Forum business. You are welcome to join for the full call, and we welcome your input.

To dial in, please call (605) 475-4850 and use the following access code: 810329#. If you have questions, please direct them to Natalie Sampson (nsampson@umich).

Very best,

American Public Health Association’s
Trade & Health Forum Leaders

IH Management Call Schedule for this Year

As some of you IH members may already know, the section leadership (composed of elected leadership and committee and working group chairs and co-chairs) hold bi-monthly conference calls to discuss section business and any other pertinent issues that relate to the section or our work over the course of the year. The schedule of calls for this year has been determined and will be as follows:

  • Tuesday 27 March at 1:00pm Eastern time
  • Tuesday 22 May at 1:00pm Eastern time
  • Tuesday 24 July at 1:00pm Eastern time
  • Tuesday 25 September at 1:00pm Eastern time
  • Tuesday 23 October at 1:00pm Eastern time
If you would like to raise a question, suggestion, or concern, please contact a member of leadership (you can find a list of members in elected positions and their contact information here, and chairs of committees and working groups here) and ask him or her to raise it during one of the calls. Don’t be shy – we are here to serve you!

APHA’s 2013 Fellowship in Government: Deadline is April 9

The deadline for applications for the 2013 APHA Fellowship in Government (including CV and three letters of recommendation) for the 2013 APHA Public Health Fellowship in Government is Monday, April 9, 2012.

Applications and additional information are available on APHA’s website. Please note there are two steps to the application process and both parts must be completed by April 9.

For more information, contact Charlene Bright at charlene.bright@apha.org.

Summer Associate Position with Jacaranda Health

Jacaranda Health is a start up social enterprise that aims to set a new standard for maternity care in East Africa. We are combining business and clinical innovations to create a self-sustaining and scalable chain of clinics that provide reproductive health services to poor urban women. Our model is a combination of two tightly-integrated services (a) Jacaranda Maternities near the slums where women can go for respectful obstetric care, safe delivery, and postnatal care; and (b) mobile vans that create a direct link with our patients, generate demand and healthy outcomes through antenatal care and birth preparedness. Jacaranda has received awards for its model, and we are also planning to work as an “innovation laboratory” for new approaches in improving maternal health, from outreach and marketing, to low-cost mobile technologies.

We are piloting the model in Nairobi with a Jacaranda Maternity and mobile unit. We launched our first mobile clinic last summer and are providing services to women in peri-urban Nairobi. In the next few months we will launch our fixed clinic for deliveries and basic emergency obstetric care.

Job Summary

Jacaranda Health is in an exciting stage of growth, and looking for two Summer Associates to support our business and clinical operations during the summer of 2012. We seek exceptional candidates who are enthusiastic about working in a start-up environment on the cutting edge of healthcare and business. The work program will be tailored to the associate, and we are open to candidates with backgrounds in business or health. Several potential projects include:

  • Quality improvement: how can we improve operations, quality control, customer service to deliver the most cost-effective maternity care in the world, that is also designed with our patients in mind.
  • Technology for clinical operations: We are introducing mobile health technology with smart phones and tablets, to improve clinician decision-making, connect with our clients, and leverage Kenya’s mobile banking infrastructure.
  • Market research: During the summer we will be assessing opportunities for expansion from our pilot clinics. We will need help analyzing client data, revisiting our customer segmentation, and evaluating the highest potential markets and services for our next clinics.
  • New services: Help us evaluate and launch new lines of business, such as ultrasound, micro-insurance, or pediatric care.

Nairobi is an incredibly exciting place to work – a bustling economy and a global hotspot for social entrepreneurship and social investment. Associates will be exposed to a network of entrepreneurs spanning sectors: technology, agriculture, energy and health.

We have a dynamic cross-cultural team in our clinics and main office. Depending on the project, the Summer Associate would work with our Business Operations Manager, Marketing Director, or Clinical Operations Director. Recent graduates could also convert this into a longer-term fellowship opportunity.

Details

  • Full-time 12-week position based in Nairobi
  • Start date: summer 2012
  • The position is a volunteer fellowship, but Jacaranda can offer a stipend for expenses and housing

Qualifications

  • Current student, MBA or MPH, or someone with 3-5 years professional experience and an interest in global health
  • Highly resourceful, independent, and self-starting
  • Flexible and easy-going enough to work in a fluid, cross-cultural startup environment in Nairobi
  • Ability to communicate findings compellingly to colleagues and advisors
  • Desired: experience working in East Africa or a similar setting

Benefits

  • First-hand experience building a health venture
  • Learn about maternity experience and clinical challenges faced by low-income mothers in peri-urban areas
  • Significant responsibility and independence
  • Opportunities to meet and interact with the region’s top social entrepreneurs working in health, agriculture, and energy

To Apply

Interested candidates should apply by email with an up to date CV and cover letter to jobs@jacarandahealth.org. Please put “Summer Associate” in the subject line. Deadline: March 15th.