Kavanah Project: beyond health promotion

2011

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technology (ICT). ICTs are increasingly recognized as a critical enabler of all three pillars of sustainable development-economic progress, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. Leveraging the power of ICTs and mobile broadband technology to improve the work of midwives, other frontline health workers, and the health of women and children, ICTs have the power to dramatically accelerate progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and will help set the stage for the post-2015 Sustainable Development agenda. 2. The Challenge According to UNFPA, "Every year approximately 350,000 women die while pregnant or while giving birth, up to 2 million newborns die within the first 24 hours of life, and there are 2.6 million stillbirths. The overwhelming majority of these deaths occur in low-income countries and most of them could have been prevented. They happen because womenusually the poor and marginalized-have no access to functioning health facilities or to qualified health professionals 1 ". If they do have assistance while birthing, it is most likely a midwife-either professionally trained or a woman elder in the community who has taken on this essential role. In the developing world where doctor-patient ratios can be two to 100,000 people, millions can be left without access to healthcare. The World Health Organization recommends that lower-level professionals such as associate clinicians, who usually are more accessible in the remote areas than doctors, are trained and enabled to perform certain

WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health

2010

All plans and reports of the Digni secretariat are formatted according to the «five abilities» results framework, which was adopted in connection with the new framework agreement with Norad for 2013-2017. The «five abilities» approach is a tool for assessing NGO capacity, which has been developed by Digni. The same model is applied when Digni conduct organizational reviews of members and partner organizations. The respective abilities-to be, to organize, to relate, to do and to learn-constitute the categories into which Digni's activities and goals are sorted. A full report on all the work of the secretariat is prepared for Digni's board, and is available upon request. The present report includes selected highlights, results and deviations (positive and negative). Introducing the five abilities Additional information has been provided with regard to selected topics: The establishment of framework agreements with three member organizations, Digni's anticorruption work and Digni's response to the dire LGBT-situation in Africa and elsewhere.

Social Science & Medicine, 1996

Online Journal of African Affairs, 2014

Deepest gratitudes to all the valiant medical professionals and health care personnel who have risked their lives in some of the world's most tumultuous places to assist those in need. Their selfless dedication is the spirit of medicine and serves as an aspiration to all who are interested in pursuing careers in the medical field. I hope viewers of my profile will take a minute or two to look through the article as it has received high accolades from the publishing journal's (OJAA) reviewers.

Journal of Student-Run Clinics, 2021

PODEMOS, Spanish for "We Can", is an interdisciplinary healthcare organization based in Columbus, Ohio, that is designed to meet the healthcare needs of communities around the city of El Progreso, Honduras. Honduras is a developing country in Central America that scores low in most indicators of healthcare quality and access. Most notably, there is a tremendous need for expanded access in rural communities. Established in 2008 by students from the Ohio State University College of Medicine, PODEMOS conducts biannual medical brigades that run primary care clinics in three rural communities around El Progreso through the volunteer service of United States (US)-based medical, pharmacy, and dental professionals. Additionally, the organization works with local leaders to provide healthcare services for patients with chronic conditions, fill gaps in US-based provider coverage, and recruit patients. PODEMOS bases its care on two models, the acute care model for common adult complaints and all children under the age of 18, and the chronic care model for a subset of adult patients who need more complex care for chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Providers then have access to select laboratory and pharmacy services for their patient's needs. PODEMOS has had a large impact on local communities since its inception, as evidenced by the numerous acute patient visits in its 11 years of existence and the 136 patients currently enrolled in chronic care program. Nevertheless, the organization continues to face challenges in areas such as interprofessional collaboration, security, and maintaining patient turnout. This piece is a descriptive report on PODEMOS, a student-run international medical organization based out of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, that seeks to inform other student-run organizations about the organization's structure and operation.

Mass gathering healthcare Mass gathering planning and preparedness Kumbh Mela a b s t r a c t Mass gatherings pose challenges to healthcare systems anywhere in the world. The Kumbh Mela 2013 at Allahabad, India was the largest gathering of humanity in the history of mankind, and posed an exciting challenge to the provision of healthcare services. At the finale of the Mela, it was estimated that about 120 million pilgrims had visited the site. Equitable geospatial distribution of adhoc health care facilities were created on a standardised template with integrated planning of evacuation modalities. Innovative and low cost response measures for disaster mitigation were implemented. Emergency patient management kits were prepared and stocked across the health care facilities for crisis response. Dynamic resource allocation (in terms of manpower and supplies) based on patient volumes was done on a daily basis, in response to feedback. An adhoc mega township created on the banks of a perennial river (Ganga) in the Indian subcontinent for accommodating millions of Hindu pilgrims. Conventional mindset of merely providing limited and static healthcare through adhoc facilities was done away with. Innovative concepts such as riverine ambulances and disaster kits were introduced.

Journal of Surgical Education, 2007

Dissertation, 2021

This research project and the resulting dissertation have been over a decade in the making, which means there are a great many people to acknowledge and not nearly enough space to do so. I will do my best to get it right in these pages. However, I will most certainly be thanking people in person for years to come. Let me start by acknowledging the support of my friends and family. Many of you have endured me as an academic for years now. Dissertations and the research that accompanies them do not happen outside of our lives as social beings. In the grand scheme of things, they are but one aspect among many others. Sometimes the other chapters of our lives make dissertations seem like footnotes. And a lot has happened in the past ten years. In the midst of "finishing" my dissertation, I was thrown off course by harrowing personal experiences and one in particular that has forever altered who I am. In so many ways my friends and family encouraged me and supported me through the most unimaginably difficult moments of my life. Moments that, frankly, I would not have survived without you. In the face of that reality the dissertation seemed insignificant. I am so grateful to those who surrounded me with love, held me up, cleared a path, and gave me time to find my way back (if I wanted to). Thank you. Tackling the research and dissertation involved the input, participation, support, and assistance of hundreds of people! I am grateful to them all. I want to thank the people of Playa Felumi for welcoming me, befriending me, tolerating my questions and curiosities, for asking me questions and sharing your lives with me. Thank you for participating in this research, this dissertation and the degree it has earned me would not have been possible without you. There are a few people in particular for whom I am so grateful, I cannot name them here, but I am so glad we continue to be part of each other's lives and that I can thank them beyond these pages as well. Seremein! vi Without the friendship, support, and collaboration of Dr. Luther Castillo, this research would not have been possible. Thank you for your energy, your faith and trust in me, and your friendship. Thank you for sharing your resources, your time, your presence, and for the many, many animated conversations about medical missions, healthcare, politics, and revolution, we have had over the years. Seremein! Thanks to my colleagues at American University, who read early proposals and chapters and offered insights and feedback. Thanks to the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, and Eric Herschberg, for your support and invaluable connections. My gratitude to the Tinker Foundation, and the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Provost at American University for funding support for pre-dissertation research, fieldwork, and writing grants. Thanks also to Lauren Tabbara, a font of wisdom and a behind-the-scenes advocate for students (especially in emergencies). Thank you to Nikki Lane, Matthew Thomman, Nell Haynes, for your wisdom, guidance, and mentorship. Thank you also for your friendship and example. Special thanks to Joeva Rock, Jeanne Hanna, Beth Geglia, Justin Uehlein for your friendship, collaborations, love, and accompaniment on this journey. Thank you for reading early drafts, later drafts, being soundboards, and writing partners. Thank you for the best brunches, impromptu babysitting, and pandemic provision deliveries! Thank you to Sarah Leister for your time, feedback, and keeping me on schedule! Thank you to Amy Ruddle for all of your help from babysitting, to pandemic provision delivery, to reading multiple drafts and offering feedback and support. I am honored and humbled. All of you inspire me! I am proud and grateful to know each of you. Thank you to my parents for the variety of ways you have supported me my entire life, but especially in these last few relentless years. When I was a young child and people asked me vii what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would answer "I want to go to college." Today, I am the first person in our entire family to earn a PhD. Thank you for supporting me in making a career of being a perpetual student. Finally, thank you to my committee for believing in this research. Thank you all for the compassion and patience you have extended to me as well. It has meant the world to me. I am grateful that you have all pushed and encouraged me, and that you have cared enough to do so. Dr. Koenig, thank you for your sincerity and frankness, and for your extremely detailed readings of my work. Dr. Carruth, thank you for your guidance, mentorship, and expertise. Dr. Vine, thank you for your support and advice, and for your guidance during my fieldwork. Dr. Pine, thank you for your support, mentorship, and friendship and encouraging me to take this idea on when it was still just a spark. Thank you all for encouraging and pushing me, and for caring enough to do so. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .