When they first arrived at the University, roommates Alexis Chaet and Claire Constance knew they wanted to get involved with the Center for Global Health. The third-year College students have worked for the past year in planning the University’s first-ever Global Health Week, taking place this Monday to Friday.
“There’s something for everyone, which is what we’re excited about,” Chaet said. “[We're excited] just to bring everyone together and show them the Center for Global Health and all of these resources that we have.”
The week will include lectures and guest speakers, with the aim of bringing students into the dialogue on health issues and encouraging them to tackle major problems at home and in the larger community.
Each day of the week features a different theme, beginning with Environmental Health day and closing with Passion and Profession. There will be a keynote lecture every day, starting off with Monday’s lecture on environmental health and water sanitation with Dr. Richard Guerrant.
“Ultimately, we wanted to do this because there are so many incredible health and Global Health related resources on Grounds that just don’t have a platform for collaboration and discussion,” Constance said.
In order to encourage cooperation among organizations and make sure the week showcases a wide range of viewpoints, members of the Center for Global Health reached out to various clubs and organizations on Grounds, including Active Minds, Engineering Students Without Borders and the Student Council Sustainability Committee.
“When you think of global health, you often think of people going abroad or people going on mission trips, but we have so many public health issues here at home and in Charlottesville,” Chaet said.
The week's events will aim to highlight the potential local impact of global health issues — underscored by Thursday's theme, Global Health at Home, when community members will speak on local health issues. The day will end with an event called Lost in Translation, which will involve a discussion of the struggles Spanish speakers have in navigating the health care system.
“This whole summer and the past few weeks have been a mad dash effort to put people and events together,” Constance said. “It’s been a crazy ride, but it’s been wonderful to see how everyone has come together in honor of this week.”
