A Week of Global Health Enlightenment

During the final week of November, Einstein's Global Health Center offered a series of informative and inspiring events as part of its annual Global Health Week.

"The aim of Global Health Week is to provide students with exposure to physicians who are integrating global health work into their careers," explained Caitlin Jones-Bamman, who organized the week with fellow student and Global Health Club board member Hadas Reich.

"We want students to realize that it’s possible to be involved with global work in addition to practicing in the United States," added Ms. Reich. "This facet of medicine is not in our curriculum."

The week kicked-off with a meet-and-greet session through which the more than 70 medical students in attendance could learn about fellowships offered each summer for studying abroad.

"Most medical schools have limited funding, and the programs offered at Einstein are very unique," said Ms. Jones-Bamman.

Among the most compelling of the event offerings was a book reading by Dr. Nergesh Tejani, clinical professor of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health and author of I Hear a Song in my Head: A Memoir in Stories of Love, Fear, Doctoring, and Flight.

She shared her experiences following her move to Uganda after medical school to practice obstetrics (women's reproductive health). During her 11 years in Uganda, Dr. Tejani became aware of the issue of birth-related deaths in developing countries. She discussed the root of these issues and addressed questions and concerns brought up by the medical students in attendance.

Dr. Tejani then read the title passage from her book. She paused occasionally during the reading to provide anecdotal medical advice to the aspiring doctors-in-training. The reading was followed by a book signing, which gave students the opportunity to talk with Dr. Tejani one-on-one.

The week’s other events included an interactive discussion with Dr. Matt Anderson, assistant professor of family and social medicine at Einstein, comparing the pros and cons of bringing foreign physicians to a Bronx community of Mexican immigrants versus those associated with American doctors working abroad; a lecture by Dr. Prabhjot Singh, of the Earth Institute, about working with community health workers; and a screening of the film "A Walk to Beautiful."