Category: APHA IH Section

2014 Call for Award Nominations: Recognizing our finest in International Health through the IH Section Awards

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Section Announcements

Note: The deadline has been extended to May 12. Please send in your nominations!

Each year, the International Health (IH) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) recognizes outstanding contributions of its members through its Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in International Health, its Mid-Career Award in International Health, and the Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice. The Section is now seeking nominations for deserving candidates for these three awards, to be presented at its Awards Ceremony at the APHA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA in November 2014.

The Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health was created by the IH Section to honor the visionaries and leaders in APHA who have shaped the direction of International Health.  The evaluation criteria for the Lifetime Achievement Award include: (1) Quality/creativity/innovativeness of the individual’s contributions to the field of International Health; (2) The individual’s contributions to the development of APHA or the IH Section; (3) Application of the individual’s work to service delivery (as opposed to primarily theoretical value); (3) The individual’s contributions as a leader/visionary/role model; (4) The volunteerism/sacrifice associated with the individual’s contributions; and (5) Membership in APHA (preferably with primary affiliation with the IH Section), a State affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. No self-nomination is allowed.

Prior winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health include Dory Storms, Tom Hall, Samir Banoob, William Reinke, Michael Latham, William Foege, Clarence Pearson, Stanley Foster, Joe Wray, Carl Taylor, Milton Roemer, Warren and Gretchen Berggren, John Wyon, Derrick Jelliffe, Tim Baker, Cicely Williams, Bud Prince, Veronica Elliott, Moye Freymann, Jeanne Newman, Jack Bryant, Richard Morrow, Ray Martin, and Miriam Labbok.

The Mid-Career Award in International Health is intended to recognize outstanding young professionals in the IH Section. The evaluation criteria for the Mid-Career Award include: (1) The individual must have committed herself/himself to the promotion and development of primary health care in a cross-cultural setting over a period of 5-15 years [Primary health care is meant here to encompass a broad array of public health issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention and environmental health]; (2) The individual must have demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of public health with an international focus; and (3) Membership in APHA (preferably primary affiliation with the IH Section), a State affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. No self-nomination is allowed.

Prior winners of the Mid-Career Award in International Health include Laura Altobelli, Matt Anderson, Padmini Murthy, Gopal Sankaran, Jean Capps, Tim Holtz, Kate Macintyre, Sarah Shannon, Adnan Hyder, Stephen Gloyd, Luis Tam, Marty Makinen, Colleen Conroy, Mary Ann Mercer, Irwin Shorr, Walter K. Patrick, Dory Storms, Clyde “Lanny” Smith and Mrs. Theresa Shaver.

The Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice is intended to reward outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health epidemiology and practice. This award was established in 2006 by the IH Section. It is administered by the Community Based Primary Health Care Working Group. John Gordon and John Wyon were pioneers in this field, so encouraging and recognizing others in this field is one important way of honoring their memory. The evaluation criteria for this award include: (1) The candidate must have had a central role in an outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health and practice; (2) The candidate must have demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of community-oriented public health with an international focus; and (3) The candidate must have membership in APHA or one of its affiliates (either a State affiliate or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. No self-nomination is allowed.

Previous winners of the Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice are Rajnikant Arole, Carl Taylor, Henry Perry, Bette Gebrian, Jaime Gofin, and Warren and Gretchen Berggren, Tom Davis, Jr., and Malcolm Bryant.

In addition, the Distinguished Section Service Award is intended to honor outstanding service to the IH Section. Award criteria are: (1) Dedication to the IH Section mission and goals as demonstrated by continuing exceptional contribution to its activities; (2) Serving on the section elective positions or chairing its committees with remarkable or unusual effort and achievements; (3) Distinguished achievement in the international health field with a remarkable career; (4) Excellence in leadership and strong ability for team work with peers in the IH Section and the APHA.  Current membership in APHA is essential.

Nomination Process

Award nominations should include a detailed letter explaining why the individual nominated should receive the award, addressing the criteria for the specific award and the curriculum vitae of the nominee. Only nominations with required documentation will be considered for the awards. Nominations should be submitted by email to Gopal Sankaran (gsankaran@wcupa.edu), Chair, Awards Committee, International Heath Section.

Deadline for Nominations

Please submit the required documents by Monday, May 12, 2014.

Happy International Women’s Day!

by nsoleye, posted in APHA IH Section

Today is International Women’s Day (IWD) and the official theme for this year is “Equality for women is progress for all.”

The origin of International Women’s Day dates back to the early 1900’s and now every year on March 8, people around the world rally together to commemorate and support women. International Women’s Day is not only a time to celebrate achievements, but also a time to reflect on the progress made and call for increased changes. From women’s rights and gender equality to abuse and sex trafficking, various social, political, and economic issues concerning women are highlighted and become points of discussion (and even protest) around IWD.

The Millennium Development Goals call for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and during the IWD opening ceremony at the United Nations today, Hilary Clinton, known for being a champion of women, said “women and girls and the cause of gender equality must be at the heart” of the UN’s agenda to promote development around the world. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon echoed her sentiments, saying in his message, “This International Women’s Day, we are highlighting the importance of achieving equality for women and girls not simply because it is a matter of fairness and fundamental human rights, but because progress in so many other areas depends on it.”

This plays nicely into the ongoing debate on the post-2015 development agenda. We all know there are major issues around the access, quality, and availability of health services to women in developing countries, and that these issues are often further complicated by cultural and religious norms. I think it’s safe to say that although IWD is only one day a year, the discussion on women’s rights as a core component of global development will continue. It is essential.

Here’s a roundup of some IWD 2014 content in case you missed it:

“The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.” — Charles Malik

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? Tell us in the comments below.

2014 Gates Foundation Annual Letter

by nsoleye, posted in APHA IH Section

As most of you probably know, last week the Gates Foundation released their Annual Letter addressing three myths that Bill and Melinda Gates believe are blocking progress for poor people all over the world. Previous letters focused on the Foundation’s annual activities, so it’s quite a change that this year’s letter cites examples and data from around the world to disprove the following:

Myth 1: Poor countries are doomed to stay poor
Myth 2: Foreign aid is a big waste
Myth 3: Saving lives leads to overpopulation

Overall the letter is a very optimistic one, painting a bright picture of the future for the world’s poor and sick. It includes a combination of videos, infographics, and a lot of quotables which I’m sure we’ll see in other places. If you haven’t had a chance to read through it yet, I encourage you to take some time to do so. It’s worth it.

In terms of global health and development, it’s easy for us to lose perspective on how much progress is actually being achieved and for that reason I can appreciate the optimism in the letter. However, I see the letter as more of a cautionary piece or call to action, warning people against believing all the “bad” development news in the media. I don’t think it will truly dispel any of these myths, but it’s done a good job of raising interesting questions, starting conversations, causing controversy, and spurring critical discussions around the three myths and their related topics. In fact, the letter has resulted in a lot of global health professionals and others sharing their opinions online so join the conversation by reading the letter, watching the series of short videos here, and posting your reactions and comments below.

Side note 1: For those who are interested, Bill Gates went on Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel last week to talk about the letter.

Side note 2: Bill Nye the Science Guy is featured in one of the videos that focuses specifically on global health and child mortality and two members of the cast of the MythBusters TV show are featured in another video. 

Upcoming meetings and conferences

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section

Here are two upcoming meetings/conferences that may be of interest to global health professionals. The first is a meeting, the second a call for papers for a conference in October in Costa Rica.

Monitoring Progress towards Universal Health Coverage
Featuring Dr. David Evans and Dr. Ties Boerma (World Health Organization) and Dr. Tim Evans (World Bank)

The meeting will give civil society organizations an opportunity to comment on the recent draft report by the World Bank and the World Health Organization, “Monitoring Progress towards Universal Health Coverage at Country and Global Levels: A Framework,” and discuss health in the Post-2015 development agenda.

When: Tuesday, 21 January 2014, 08:30 – 12:00 EST / 14:30 – 18:00 CET
Coffee will be available at 08:30 / 09:00, with event starting promptly at 14:30 / 15:00.

Where: United Nations Foundation, 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC
International Labour Organization, 4 route des MorillonsCH-1211 Genève 22 Switzerland

Toll-free dial-in access also available. For more information or to RSVP, email unfevents@unfoundation.org. Space is
limited.

III International Higher Education Congress
III Congreso Internacional de Educación Superior
October 6-10, 2014 San Jose, Costa Rica
Call for Papers
http://www.WCUPA.edu/KCB

Knowledge Crossing Borders: Building Partnerships Through Shared Knowledge

Introduction
The Knowledge Crossing Borders Planning Team is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the 2014 KCB conference. You are encouraged to participate in the “Knowledge Crossing Borders: Building Partnerships through Shared Knowledge,” a multi-institutional conference to be held on the campus of the Universidad National (UNA), Heredia, Costa Rica. Program participants will share effective scholarly, pedagogical, and administrative practices with their international counterparts.

Program Objectives
The International Higher Education Congress seeks to build a sustainable future through global partnerships in higher education. The conference theme-Knowledge Crossing Borders, Building Partnerships Thorough Shared Knowledge – includes the research, pedagogical, outreach, and administrative functions of higher education. The conference will examine how knowledge transactions across regional and international borders create challenges and transformative opportunities for cooperation, change, creativity, and innovation.

Travel Support
Individuals will be required to support the expense related to their participation from their own funds toward the cost of participation. We encourage participants to anticipate their costs and apply to their institution, departments or professional associations for any financial support.

Submissions
The conference especially seeks papers that focus on border-crossing perspectives in broad contexts.
Topics should address at least one of these topics of inquiry:

  • Communication and Information Technologies in Higher Education
  • World Peace and Higher Education
  • Higher Education and the Reduction of Poverty
  • Ethics and the Role of Higher Education
  • International Cooperation and Institutions of Higher Education
  • Higher Education and Advances in the area of Health Worldwide

Applicants should submit proposals that comply with the following structures:

  1. Individual presentations not to exceed 20 minutes
  2. Panels or workshops that may be structured with three or more presentations for a total of 60 minutes of presentation and 15 minutes of audience response
  3. Poster sessions that will include 60 minutes of scheduled presence and dialogue with conference attendees

Submissions should be in Microsoft Word, double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font. Full papers (15-20 pages) will receive blind peer review evaluations. Notification will be sent in May. Please include a one paragraph abstract and a few sentences of biographical information about yourself. Applications will be reviewed by peer selection committee. Decisions will be based upon quality and alignment with conference goals.

Deadline for receipt of complete applications: April 1, 2014.

Two Fellowships with upcoming application deadlines: Donald M. Payne (USAID) and Global Health Corps

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Internships and Fellowships

Below please find information about two fellowship programs that could be of interest to global health students, recent graduates, and new professionals.

Global Health Corps Fellowship: Positions available in Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and the U.S.
To be selected as a Global Health Corps fellow you must:

  • Be 30 or under at the start of the fellowship
  • Have an undergraduate university degree by July 2014
  • Be proficient in English

Application Timeline for the 2014-2015 Fellowship:

  • November 6, 2013: Part 1 of the application opens
  • December 6, 2013: Position descriptions posted online. Part 2 of the application opens
  • January 26, 2014: Applications close at 11:59pm EST
  • February 17, 2014: 2 recommendation forms and Proof of Identity and Proof of Education documents due
  • February – March 2014: Each application is reviewed by at least two readers
  • March 2014: up to 10 semi-finalists are selected for each fellowship position. All candidates are notified of their application status by email
  • March 2014: All semi-finalists are interviewed by Global Health Corps and 3-5 finalists per position are selected
  • March 2014-April 2014: All finalists are interviewed by the placement organizations
  • April-May 2014: Fellowship offers extended

Fellows come from a wide range of educational and professional backgrounds, as each individual fellowship position requires different specific skills. Make sure to check out our fellowship FAQs page.

USAID Donald M. Payne Fellowship (through Howard University)

The Payne Program is designed to attract outstanding young people to careers in international development as USAID Foreign Service Officers. The Payne Fellowship Program provides benefits valued at up to $90,000 over two years toward a two-year master’s degree, arranges internships on Capitol Hill and at USAID missions overseas, and provides professional development and support activities. Fellows who successfully complete the program become USAID Foreign Service Officers. Fellows may use the fellowship to attend a two-year master’s program in a U.S. institution to study an area of relevance to the USAID Foreign Service, including international development, international relations, public policy, business administration, foreign languages, economics, agriculture, environmental sciences, health, or urban planning at a graduate or professional school approved by the Payne Program. At the end of the two-year fellowship, Fellows enter the USAID Foreign Service. Applicants must be college seniors or graduates looking to start graduate school in the fall of the year they apply, have GPAs of at least 3.2 and be U.S. citizens. The program welcomes applications from those with any undergraduate major and encourages applications from members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the USAID Foreign Service and those with financial need. Information and application materials for the program are available at http://www.paynefellows.org.

Application deadline: January 27, 2014