Tag: SGH

Mekinsie Callahan

I am a senior working towards a major Human Physiology and a minor in Global Health. My journey within the field of global health began when I joined Students for Global Health (SGH). In this club, I was able to engage in ethically stimulating discussions, fundraising events, and bonding retreats, all of which piqued a special interest in me. In addition to this, I had the opportunity to attend a health conference hosted by OHSU, which aimed to address health disparities in under-served populations.

Finally, SGH allowed me to foster valuable relationships with like minded peers whom I often engage with outside of the club. I was interested in both local and global health opportunities that would also satisfy the internship requirement for the global health minor. With this, I was able to start a local health internship experience at the HIV Alliance, which is an organization that strives to reduce the transmission of HIV through harm reduction principles. At the HIV Alliance, I currently participate in the Needle Exchange program as well as in testing services where I serve as a testing technician. This experience has inspired me to consider future experiences involving the prevention of HIV/AIDS in under-served populations. Whether it be through higher education or involvement with health NGOs, my plans for the future remain open.

Makaela Press

My name is Makaela Press and I am a senior majoring in International Studies and minoring in Global health and Legal Studies at the University of Oregon. Throughout my time as an undergraduate I have had the opportunity to study abroad twice. Last fall I spent three and a half months in Jordan focusing on public health, refugees, and humanitarian action and this past summer I spent two months in Ecuador learning about women’s reproductive healthcare in Quito through clinical shadowing. I am also the current Partners in Health Liaison for Students for Global Health (SGH).

During my time in Jordan I had the opportunity to discuss major health challenges faced by refugees, particularly Syrian and Palestinian refugees as these are the main refugee groups living in Jordan.  During my final month in Jordan I was able to conduct an independent research project focused on how the Syrian Conflict affected the reemergence of infectious diseases in Jordan, specifically looking at Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, which was once restricted to two areas in Syria (Aleppo and Damascus) is now seen all over Syria and the greater region due to the massive human displacement within Syria and the ecologic disruption of the sand fly.

Learning about global health in this context was very impactful and SGH and the global health minor gave me a space on campus to further develop my interest in global health once I returned from Jordan. Now more than ever we must work to make sure that healthcare is accessible to everyone as it is fundamental human right. After graduation I would like to pursue a master’s degree in global health and eventually a career where I can work to make the world a more equitable place.

Dana Emo

My name is Dana Emo and I am a senior here at the University of Oregon. Last summer, I went on the global health and development program in Accra, Ghana. While in Ghana, I took 3 classes and interned at a hospital where I had the opportunity to shadow nurses, doctors, midwives, and a physician assistant. I studied the effects of colonization on Ghanaian healthcare, stigmas surrounding mental health, rural access to health care, and the role sanitation practices play in the spread of diseases.

One of the biggest takeaways from my time in Ghana was being able to observe the differences and similarities between the health care systems in both the United States and Ghana. In combination with observing widespread poverty, the effects of pollution, sewage, and a lack of sanitary bathrooms, it was fascinating to learn about the social determinants which often increased the population’s chances for diseases and health issues.

Learning about and observing the impacts of poverty and limited access to clean and safe resources on people’s health and general well being, has motivated me to keep learning about global public health. Ghana impacted me by making me more passionate about global health and has inspired me to learn about healthcare systems around the world as well as wonder what I can do as an individual to improve health care and public health in my own community.

While the career I hope to get into isn’t directly related to global health, I believe having this experience and being apart of the Students for Global Health club has given me a better comprehensive understanding of the healthcare systems throughout the world, including the strengths and problems that exist within them. From this experience, I plan to continue focusing specifically on rural areas that traditionally have less access to healthcare.

 

 

Students for Global Health Club

UO Students for Global Health meets on Wednesdays at 6pm in Straub 251.

We are a student group devoted to social justice and global health equity. We work particularly against diseases that most adversely affect people living in poverty and the conditions that make them vulnerable by raising awareness and funds on campus. Through the student network Partners in Health Engage, we raise money and awareness for health related causes at the local, national and global levels. We meet weekly to learn, discuss, and plan events. We’d love to have you at our meetings!

Tessa Kehoe

Tessa Kehoe is a senior majoring in Human Physiology with minors in Global Health, Economics, and Chemistry. She is the president of the Students for Global Health club and does research in a biology lab on campus. This past summer, Tessa traveled to Quito, Ecuador and completed a seven-week program through CFHI (Child Family Health International) shadowing in hospitals and clinics. The focus of the program was “Reproductive and Sexual Health as a Human Right”. This program allowed her to gather insight into the field of reproductive and women’s health, as well as observe the public health system in Quito. Medicine and public health are two interests Tessa hopes to combine in the future. The program also allowed her to further her competency in Spanish by taking classes and living with a host family.