Words of Rembrance by Clarence B. Jones on MLK Jr. Day

Andy

“Silence in the face of violence, is evil itself.” Just an example of one famous quote paraphrased by Clarence B. Jones, who spoke at the University of Michigan this past Monday. It was an honor to hear Jones speak on the day of remembrance for his friend and ally of the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. During that historic time period, Jones was considered one of the closest political and influential confidantes of Dr. King. Serving as adviser, lawyer, draft speech writer, and friend, few knew him better.

In a brilliant and authentic display of oration, Jones proclaimed, “Except for Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Martin Luther King Jr. in 12 years and 4 months from 1956 to 1968, did more to achieve political, economic, and social justice in America than any other event or person in the previous 400 years.” It seems almost inconceivable, that during a time of racial oppression, lack of social media or internet, and limited popular support, that one man could amass such a following that would change the course of history in this great nation.

Listening to first-person testimonials about the week leading up to the famous “I Have A Dream” speech, opposition to the Vietnam War, and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, would have seemed to be enough. However, Jones also weaved a story of anti-violence together, calling to arms action against inaction. He implored the audience to realize the world of violence has many faces, and lies beneath society’s eyes like molten lava. It does not have to be fatal to affect communities. The need for a fierce urgency to make investments toward improving the quality of life, a non-violent future. In the words of Dr. King, “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.”

Lastly, Jones reflected on his feelings when President Barack Obama was first elected as President of the United States in 2008. After succumbing to a rush of emotion, tears filled his eyes. Not for the electoral results, but tears for all those people who made that election possible. Without the collective work of the Civil Rights Movement and sacrifices of millions, we would have never seen such history made. I cannot emphasize enough the goosebumps that appeared on the audience’s skin when listening to the methodical, yet emotional reaction delved so rich in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. To think he stood side by side with arguably the most influential person from American history regarding civil rights was awe inspiring.

When asked, “Who today is most like Martin Luther King Jr?” Jones answered with a rhetorical question, “Who today is most like Shakespeare, like Leonardo Da Vinci, like Michelangelo? No one.”

Andy Mychkovsky is a first year HMP student at the School of Public Health.

Toxic Inspiration

Desiree

You need to attend the Toxic Tour of Detroit, no matter what your discipline of study is. It occurs in the fall semester, and is meant to build awareness around environmental issues that are happening in Detroit.

Yes, I will admit that I am biased. As a native Detroiter, I feel that any issue that Detroit is facing, I am facing. But I promise that if you are completely and unapologetically disinterested in the City of Detroit, that going on the Toxic Tour of Detroit will get you engaged. The environmental issues affecting Detroit are more than likely happening in the area that you are from, or at least not too far from it.

Detroit Institute of Arts

The tour made me think of many things, such as what can be done with industrial structures that are no longer in use, and how communities can organize themselves and successfully get their demand for a healthier environment where they live realized.

Highlighted on the tour were landmarks that have toxic environmental implications such as the Detroit Incinerator, the site of the Old Uniroyal Plant, the Ambassador Bridge, and the Packard Plant in Hamtramck. U of M faculty as well as local environmental activists led the tour.  As a native Detroiter, I was proud to see such a great deal of efforts being organized around environmental issues, many of which were led by locals. The tour showed me the challenges that environmental activists in my city are facing.

In between going from one environmental hazardous area to the next, were attractions such as the DIA, but also some of the most beautiful, historic neighborhoods on the planet.

Detroit Incinerator

I felt a sense of personal obligation after going on the tour. Now that I am aware of the environmental issues that are facing Detroit, I can no longer ignore what I am no longer ignorant to. Although I do not know what my role in environmental activism in Detroit will be, I am certain that I will have one.

Maltiox, Pacux!

Claudia

Maltiox means ‘thank you’ in Mayan Achi and is pronounced Malti-osh and Pacux, pronounced Pac-oosh, is the name of the community that I worked in during my summer in Guatemala.

It’s been a little over a month into the new school year and it seems that although my summer internship is in the distant past, its lessons continue to carry over into my day-to-day activities as I venture into my second year of graduate school. Through my internship, I learned that the core of public health lies in bringing people and communities together through innovative ways that empower people to work to improve their own health. Through education, skill development, and facilitation, community members can exercise their ability to identify and prioritize their own needs, subsequently increasing their engagement and participation to improve their own situations.

As second year students, we are required to do a lot of reflection and evaluation projects concerning our summer internships, as well as, preparing a poster and presenting it during a school-wide poster session.  I was very excited to share the stories of the youth and the community members that I was able to work alongside during the summer, but as I answered questions, something felt out of place. I realized that it felt very strange to present by myself, without the presence of the youth, who played a significant role throughout the process.

Pacux Health Project – Youth Participants

I have realized that the future of Public Health is not only in the students currently enrolled in graduate or undergraduate programs, but that the future of Public Health is also in every person that works to improve their community. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to observe a group of youth committed to bettering the conditions of their community this past summer in Guatemala and I would like to take this time to thank the youth that participated.

The youth participated in a process to help identify three prioritized health issues through a community needs assessment. The objective was to reinforce and facilitate community participation by empowering local youth to develop an action plan for a sustainable health project. The youth worked toward the development of a health project addressing Environmental Contamination, Natural Medicine, and Nutrition.

Pacux Health Project – Youth Participants

Maltiox: Silvia Uscap Sanchez, Adelis Mendoza Santos, Patricia Osorio Santos, Illiana Ponce, Sandra Gutierrez, Ruth Noemi Osorio, Gladys Anabella Sanchez, Maria Vicenta Osorio, Marco Antonio Chen Osorio, Samuel Chen Sanchez, Byron Osorio Chen, Karen Melissa Chen, Jonathan Joel Osorio, Melvin Ramiro Quisque, Wilson Chen Ixpata, Arley Adrian Chen Tum, Mardoqueo Osorio Chen, Juan de Jesus Sanchez, and Oswaldo Lajuj Uscap.

Note: Permissions were obtained from all of those pictured above.

PHAST Biloxi Trip Recap! Better late than never!

Michelle

So over the past two weeks, I have been fortunate to sit down with three lovely ladies to talk about their experiences on the trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, with the Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) during Fall Break this past semester! Just another example of how you can put the knowledge you’re learning in the classroom into practice!

The PHAST group left for Biloxi on Thursday, October 13^th and came back to Ann Arbor Sunday, October 16^th. While in Mississippi, the team worked with the University of Mississippi and the nonprofit Visions of Hope. Here is the snippet about their trip:

“Students from the University of Mississippi and the University of Michigan partnered with Visions of Hope to qualitatively assess changes in the East Biloxi, Mississippi community. We inquired about change that has occurred over the past five years, notably since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005, with specific topics of interests including population shift, health care, education, employment, and housing. Students qualitatively interviewed residents of East Biloxi who were willing to participate. The results of the interviews will be used to develop a quantitative survey regarding change in the community that will be administered in the spring of 2012 in both Biloxi and the delta region of Mississippi. The final results of the quantitative survey will be shared with local agencies and service providers so that they may better address their clients’ needs.”

Here are a few of the highlights from the conversations I had with Alena Perez, Allison Yee, and Hillary Craddock:

Alena, 1^st year, HBHE:

M: The trip was during winter break?  How did that work for the students?

Alena: The trip was before winter break, during fall break.  Time management was key.  It was definitely manageable because it was a short trip and allowed for 3 days remaining of fall break to study.

M: Tell me about the people you met.

Alena: Everyone we partnered with was great, friendly, and easy to get along with.  I did not hear of anyone specifically having or encountering any negative people or situations within the community.  Of course not everyone agreed to interview, but many were open and very receptive.  It was overall a wonderful experience and I am curious how the project will proceed with the May trip.

Allison, 1^st year, EHS:

M: The trip was during Winter break? How did that work for the students?

Allison: I had just come out of undergrad – it was fine to keep going. While it would have been nice to have taken the break, the experience was worth it.

M: Did you get any downtime on the trip?

Allison: The group went out to dinner one night and it was fun. There’s not too much to do in Biloxi, the casinos are the major form of entertainment.

 Hillary, 1^st year, EPID:

M: Tell me about the people you met.

Hillary: We met a lot of people who were working to improve the community, both through Visions of Hope and out in the field. The people at VoH were dedicated to meeting the needs of the community, and they were eager to brainstorm with us on potential new programming. We heard many stories from people who helped recover after Katrina or were helping to clean up after the oil spill.

M: Did you get any downtime?

Hillary: We got some downtime in the evenings, and we were able to experience tasty local seafood and BBQ.

PHAST in Biloxi, MS

Thank you Allison, Alena, Hillary, and Dana!

And Happy Finals / Holiday Season Y’all!

An ELEGANT way to support those impacted by cancer!

Michelle

During my summer internship at the Cancer Support Community (CSC) of Greater Ann Arbor, I got involved in their latest initiative, The Brides Project. Based on a similar organization in Toronto, Canada, The Brides Project (TBP) is a non-profit run by volunteers dedicated to raising funds for the programs of the CSC through the resale of donated bridal gowns. Once-worn gowns donated by brides or unsold gowns donated by bridal shops are made available for purchase to brides-to-be at a considerable savings. All profits from the sale of the gowns go to the CSC to support programs and services for people touched by cancer.

The gowns are high quality and offered at costs of 50% below market prices. And the boutique is at 208 W. Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor, thanks to Mark Hodesh of Mark’s Carts and Downtown Home and Garden fame!

Lovely Front Door of The Brides Project Boutique!

I have been a volunteer at the Cancer Support Community for two years and it’s been wonderful every minute- but this project has gone above and beyond and shown me how creative you can be when you put your mind to it! My involvement with TBP started with many different planning committees – helping with anything I could along the way. I helped create the inventory system for the donated dresses and inevitably I ended up working at a bridal show…

Might be bad luck, but it was fun nonetheless! This upcoming weekend – I’m so lucky to be going with fellow HBHEr, Leah Gacoich, to an appointment at TBP boutique. She’s going to look so beautiful in all of the gowns! I will try to update the blog with some of her thoughts about the project after the appointment on Sunday.

Hope everyone is having a productive, fun Fall Study Break! Don’t forget to stop by my poster this Friday to learn more about The Brides Project and the Cancer Support Community!

::Practice Plunge 2011:: New Places, New Faces!

Michelle

I cannot believe it has been a year since I started the HBHE program here at UMSPH! What a whirlwind.. About one year ago, I went on my first Practice Plunge and here I was again, taking “the plunge” with the newbies to SPH, except this time around I was a little less nervous!

Last year, I had such a blast visiting the Washtenaw County Public Health Department during which we heard about the all the different aspects of the local health department and Growing Hope where we got our hands dirty and learned more about their mission in creating a community garden and promoting healthy eating, community engagement, and positive socioeconomic change.

Practice Plunge 2010 at Growing Hope, Ypsilanti

This year, there were five sites that the students were assigned to in Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne, and Genesee counties. I went along with the Detroit area project and my group visited the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion (DHWP) and Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women. DHWP gave us the background of the programs offered within the city of Detroit and we saw a number of alumni (many of who had internships through the Office of Public Health Practice while at SPH)! At Catherine Ferguson Academy, we learned about the urban organic farming component of the students’ education, beyond the life skills and college prep training. The women who go to Catherine Ferguson are pregnant and parenting teenagers and must be accepted into a two or four-year program upon graduation from this public high school. To learn more about Catherine Ferguson Academy – you can see the documentary, “Grown in Detroit” – it’s on my On Demand list!

Similar to my experience last year, I learned a great deal about working in the field of public health and met a bunch of wonderful people! I asked a few of the newbies questions and thought I would introduce you to them! I asked what words they used to describe citizenship (the theme of the 1st year orientation), why they chose UMSPH, and what the most memorable moment of the Practice Plunge day was.

Brian Frey, HMP

Brian:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Community responsibility

Why @ SPH: Throughout my early career I have had the opportunity to work with many UMSPH Alumni whose values, knowledge, work ethic, and encouragement have pushed me to desire educational excellence.  UMSPH is, and has traditionally been, a leader in health care, so the decision was an easy one for me.  Besides, I am a Wolverine for life!

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: The best part of the Practice Plunge was getting the opportunity to work side by side with students and professors from other programs that I may see on a daily basis.  It was also great to see a side of Detroit that even I was not familiar with.

Hayley Getzen, HBHE

Hayley:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Community & collaboration

Why @ SPH: I chose UMSPH because of the wide variety of courses offered and all of the different directions I could go within my degree. After I went to the Admitted Students Day, I knew I wanted to go to UofM because the faculty and staff were all so welcoming and knowledgeable. I just knew I would have a lot of great opportunities at UMSPH!

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: The Practice Plunge was a great opportunity for new students to witness how local health departments are run and experience the fundamentals of public health. My favorite part of the day was how thankful the employees of the farm were when we were finished in the garden. They were so appreciative and it was cool that all of us could come together and accomplish so much in so little time. It was nice to meet so many new people as well!

Bri Meek, EHS

Bri:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Be the change.

Why @ SPH: Because Danielle (friend & family member who graduated from HBHE last year) said it was awesome, because of its global outreach, and last but not least, the vast amount of study and research opportunity.

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: Shoveling chicken feces with my professor!

Josh Havumaki, EPID

Josh:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Community & identity

Why @ SPH: UMSPH has a great deal infectious disease and epidemiological modeling research something I have worked on in the past. Also, Michigan has a strong Southeast Asian studies department – I hope to do my internship in that part of the world.

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: Speaking to the local farmer who runs a community garden in inner-city Detroit. This emphasized that impact and change can be made from the community level.

Stacey Lee, HMP

Stacey:
1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Equality & proactive

Why @ SPH: The faculty met at my interview for the HMP program were warm and committed to both my education and the field of public health.

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: Harvesting tomatoes with my fellow SPHers

 

 

Thanks everyone – It was wonderful working and speaking with all of you!

IASA presents Samasti

Katie Sloter

I am obsessed with beauty. Not the glossed over, edited beauty that can be found in the fashion magazines (that I only read on airplanes or ‘days that don’t exist’ such as can be found when there is a snowstorm or storm of any sorts).

No. I am obsessed with beauty in cascades of words, the raw visceral beauty that exists in the minutia of our days. I love doorways, photography, people that smile crookedly. Micro-expressions. Water and fire and the kindness of strangers who let you turn in front of them on the road when they could have just kept driving.

One of the things I love about living in a university town is that the beauty of different cultures has a chance to be celebrated. My friend Lindsay Ward, a first year MPH student, chose to be a part of Samasti this year. She spent many hours practicing for the evening, along with nearly a hundred other University of Michigan students. Samasti was put on by the Indian American Student Association of the University of Michigan. This was a celebration of the various types of dances from different regions in India, and it was a smashing success. The dancing had everything I enjoy: slashes of color, fabric, culture, energy, humor, and vivaciousness. I thought it was an awesome way to integrate a little beauty, culture, and class into the experience of being a graduate student. Thank you IASA for a great evening!

Lindsay Ward, MPH 2012, in full garb for Samasti

Emotional Roller-coaster

 

Saurabh Vyas

 

Hi,

It has been a little more than a month since the second-year of school started, and it will be an understatement if I say… it has been hectic… very very hectic.

As I write my first blog post, I had a chance to reflect upon the most important things currently going on in my life. And if you are wondering where the title of this post comes from, then its from the sheer delight and happiness of being involved with the organizing of the biggest HMP alumni event – Reaching Excellence in HMP, and spearheading the Students Engaged in Global Health activities for the upcoming year; and the low-point of this roller-coaster has been a more personal experience which I would like to share.

University of Michigan is a place filled with people from different fields, interests, cultures… But, there is a common string as you find an infectious enthusiasm, passion to excel and achieve something worthwhile. I must say I have been impressed by many people whom I have met, but perhaps the person whose passion for global health really moved me was my late friend Sujal Parikh. An m4 medical school student, he was involved with Physicians for Human Rights, UAEM, UVP and the Center for Global Health, and was a natural leader in the field. With his immense passion, Suj was definitely going to be a leader in infectious diseases research and international health issues. Alas, the news of his unfortunate accident while on a Fogarty International research trip to Uganda, had us worrying for his well-being since past week. And finally the news all of us were dreading came in a couple of days back… The young and dynamic leader whom we all loved, met with an untimely and unfortunate demise. Memories, experiences and stories are all that remain… and over the next couple of weeks, we will be paying a tribute to him in the best way we can… I would like everyone who reads this post, to say a silent prayer blessing for the peace of his soul and well-being of his family.

More on Suj by Center for Global Health - http://www.globalhealth.umich.edu/sujalparikh.html

On the other hand, the HMP department is gearing up for the Reaching Excellence symposium. With more than 480 alumni already registered it is going to be an event to look forward to, not only for networking but for inspiration. The chief keynote speaker is Don Berwick (Presidential nominee as Chief of CMS).

I will share more about the symposium in my next post over the weekend. Till then, wishing you all good health…

-SV

 

 

Field Placement Bringing my Dual Degrees Together

 

Carrie Rheingans

 

My current social work field placement is really bringing my two degree programs together. I’m a dual degree student – doing a Master of Public Health in SPH (in the department of Health Behavior and Health Education) and a Master of Social Work at the School of Social Work. I’m studying Community Organization and Community & Social Systems in social work. There are many dual degree options for students in public health, and it can be a really great investment if you want to work in multiple fields.

This is my third and final year of the dual degree program, and I’m happy that my courses and field experiences are really coming together in my learning. For my public health department, students usually do a 3-4 month field placement between their two years. I did a year-long placement at the HIV/AIDS Resource Center as an AmeriCorps member for the National AIDS Fund’s national direct AmeriCorps program in Detroit. For a social work degree, students can elect to do either two field placements (one each during each academic year) or one longer-term placement (from January – December of one calendar year). Most students elect to do the single placement, but I elected to do two.

This year’s placement is at the Washtenaw County Public Health department and I’m working with a number of community members to develop a Latin@ community center, Casa Latina, for Washtenaw County. I’m applying coursework in both schools that has covered grant-writing, program development, program evaluation, community participation, multi-level interventions, social marketing, survey design, materials creation, leadership development, and community organization and development. It’s nice to be able to apply what I’ve learned, and even combine some tasks at my field placement with current coursework. For example, for my program evaluation class, my final project is to create an evaluation plan for a health program – which is one of my tasks for a grant I’m writing at my placement. For another class, my final project is to create a community participation plan, which is something we need to do for Casa Latina anyway.

It’s great when I get to do public health practice during the semester and apply the things I’m learning in the classroom to the real world. Sometimes I wish there was a larger field component in public health, but there are definitely options for getting more real-world practice if you look for them.

My Last First Day of School

Carrie Rheingans

Today’s my last first day of school and it’s been a great one so far! It’s sad to think that this long journey will be over in eight short months, but I know I’ll be happy to be done and start applying all the wonderful knowledge and skills I’ve learned in my two degree programs, public health and social work.

I always feel so optimistic at the beginning of a new semester – like maybe this time I can actually do all the reading! I’m very excited about my two public health classes this semester (EHS 500 – Principles of Environmental Health and HBHE 622 – Program Evaluation in Health Education). The environmental health class interests me because of the material and my background in the biological sciences, and the program evaluation class because it’s a valuable and transferable skill in the field(s) in which I’ll be working upon graduation.

I’m also excited to start teaching again. Last semester was my first being a graduate student instructor (GSI), and I really learned a lot, both about being a teacher and about being a student. I gained a lot of patience and improved my skills for speaking publicly and making sure people are following what you’re saying. I also learned how to better manage my time as a student, as well as what amount of work goes on behind the scenes in the classes I take. I also learned that while teaching is fun, grading is NOT fun. The worst part is that my midterms are at the same time as the ones I have to grade – which doesn’t make it easy to study for my own classes.

The other exciting development this semester is my field placement for social work. I’m working with the Washtenaw County Public Health Department to help develop a Latino community center for our community (Washtenaw County, the county in which the University of Michigan is located). Currently, there is no such organization that caters to people of Latino/Hispanic ethnicity or Spanish speakers.

I hope to write posts this year about my public health and social work classes, my field placement, teaching, and my passion, HIV and AIDS. Stay tuned!