Edinburgh

Get in touch with Medsin-Edinburgh by emailing edinburgh@medsin.org

You can also find us on Facebook (Group: Medsin-Edinburgh)

WHAT'S ON IN EDINBURGH

Destination Unknown

8 – 9.30 pm, Augustine United Church (George IV Bridge), Monday 25 May 2009.

ImpAcTAIDS with African HIV Policy Network, Waverley Care and HIV Scotland

“It is inhumane to deport people living with HIV who are on treatment to a country where treatment is not readily available or affordable”. A persuasive presentation made up of visual images, including digital stories, a photo exhibition and positive speakers facing possible removal from the UK.

Please also take the the time to sign this online petition:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/access-to-lifesaving-hiv-treatment.html

For more info email: edinburghstopaids@googlemail.com

Medsin Scottish Global Health Day 2009: THANKS!

The Medsin Scottish Global Health Day 2009, held in sunny Edinburgh was a great success.

The ‘focus’ of the day was ‘Social Determinants of Health, following the publication of the report on health inequalities by the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). (See http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/ for more information). With a wide range of speakers from a number of different fields a number of topics were covered with both local and global issues taken into account.

Professor Allyson Pollock spoke about the big health policy issues facing the NHS whilst Dr Dorothy Logie discussed the contrasting issues confronting the developing world. Drs Adam Burley and John Budd discussed the many issues important to Edinburgh’s homeless population, including development of personality and the importance of the primary care model. Professor Sue Welburn talked about her work on sleeping sickness in Africa including Stamp Out Sleeping Sickness (SOS), and the barriers to disease eradication. Finally Dr Sarah Hill drew on her varied experiences working in a number of different countries in both the developed and the developing world, concluding with why she chose to work in public health.

Feedback from delegates has been really positive, although we do apologise for any difficulties people had finding the venue. Medsin Edinburgh would like to thank all speakers and delegates for making this an enjoyable experience for all.

Medsin Edinburgh Committee

International Health for Dummies 2009

Medsin Edinburgh continues to run the opportunity to participate in a series of talks in International Health aimed at people with little or no prior understanding of the concepts involved. It's easy to get bogged down in jargon when trying to understand how health works on an international level, but this series of talks aims to bring us all up to scratch with the basics, as well as presenting an excellent opportunity to interact with a broad range of professionals and enthusiasts from a variety of fields.

The talks are free of charge for members, £1.50 for non-members. They last about 1 hour, including time for discussion and questions.

January 19th "The Social Context of Medical Interventions in Africa" 7pm, Appleton Tower LT3

Jacob McKnight has worked in Africa for the last 5 years, working for a number of humanitarian agencies and academic projects, most recently conducting research on vaccination in Ethiopia for Oxford University. Starting out his career as an engineer and logistician for Medecins Sans Frontieres, Jacob was struck by the fact that his technical expertise was often nullified by the overwhelming importance of understanding the social conditions that surround 'technical' development projects in Africa. His experience in Mozambique, Angola and Somalia led him to Oxford University where he is now involved in research that seeks to understand low vaccination coverage in Ethiopia.

January 27th "Tropical Neglected Diseases" 7pm, Appleton Tower LT1. Free of charge; brought to you by Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM)

Professor Alan Fairlamb is a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow, Professor of Biochemistry and Head of the Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery at the University of Dundee. As one of the 250 scientists involved in the genome sequencing of the parasites that cause sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, his research career is devoted to the development of better treatments for these neglected tropical diseases. He is also a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO) and discovered trypanothione, a novel and attractive target for rational drug design for trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

February 2nd "Children in Rural Tibet: Their Health Status and Living Conditions" 7pm, Appleton Tower LT3.

Dr Mingji Cuomu has been practicing Tibetan Medicine for 20 years. She has lectured in Tibetan Medical Physiology, Health Care and Gynecology, Medical ethics and Pharmacology at the Tibetan Medical College, Lhasa. Mingji was a researcher and translator for the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research / NICHD NIH for three years. She is currently doing a PhD in Medical Anthropology at the Humboldt University in Germany whilst undertaking an MA in Public Health at The Hallam University in Sheffield.

March 2nd "Globalisation, trade and health: The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control" 7pm, Appleton Tower LT3 (Postponed from Feb 16th)

Dr Jeff Collin is a senior lecturer in the Centre for International Public Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the WHO expert group monitoring tobacco industry influence. A political scientist by background, he was previously based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and his research focuses on globalisation and tobacco control. Additional research interests include developments in global health governance and the health impacts of population mobility and of trade liberalisation.

March 16th "Public Health and Trade Treaties" 7pm, Appleton Tower LT3.

David Price is a senior researcher in the Centre for International Public Heath Policy. He has been involved in research into public private partnerships for several years and has also published on the impact of international economic law on public health policy. As a former senior research fellow at the Public Health Policy Unit, UCL, he is currently carrying out research into the new primary care market in the NHS, the role of nonprofit organisations in health system reform, and the pharmaceutical industry.

PROJECTS

SKIP (Students for Kids International Projects)

SKIP is a student led, registered charity (1099804), with projects working to support children in developing countries around the world. Our ultimate aim is to not be needed; for vulnerable children to be well supported and cared for by their communities and for healthcare students to be actively compassionate and aware of the realities and implications of global and cultural health issues. Established in 2003 we currently have 14 branches.

SKIP Edinburgh is a newly established branch this year. We are running our needs assessment trip to Eastern Europe in June 2008, and are hoping to set up a project to support children with disabilities in Moldova. We are looking for volunteers to help with fundraising, and get involved in the running of SKIP Edinburgh.

For more information check out our website www.skipkids.org.uk or contact us on skipedinburgh@gmail.com Project Coordinator- Hannah Kilner

Wateraid at Edinburgh

WaterAid’s vision is a world where everyone has access to safe water and effective sanitation.

Clean water is something most of us take for granted, but over a billion people do not have access to it, and over two fifths of the world’s population do not have somewhere safe and clean to go to the toilet. As a result, a child dies every 15 seconds from easily preventable diseases.

Many women and children in the world’s poorest countries spend hours every day walking miles to collect water. This water is usually dirty and unsafe to drink, but they have no alternative. Carrying heavy water containers is an exhausting task, which takes up valuable time and energy, preventing women from doing other work and stopping children from going to school. Where there is nowhere safe and clean to go to the toilet communities are further exposed to disease and lack the privacy required for dignity.

Edinburgh WaterAid Campaigns Group work locally to spread the word about the vital significance of clean water and sanitation. We are campaigns-focused, aiming for change at a governmental level, which is necessary to facilitate the sustainability of in-country projects. Contact wateraid-edinburgh@hotmail.co.uk to get involved.

Basic Life Support - Edinburgh

BLS aims to provide free training in basic first aid skills to school children. For more information visit link text

Intercalated BMedSci

The University of Edinburgh offers an intercalated BMedSci degree in International Public Health Policy. The intercalated degree offers a range of teaching on topics such as determinants of global health, health systems, international health policy, and globalisation. To find out more, including details about applying, access the programme's website here.