By Matt Daly
“Health is Hope. And Hope is Everything.” – Haitian Proverb
The Underserved Medicine Seminar continues to grow each year. In Winter 2018, a total of 282 students flocked to Buchanan 1910 on Tuesday evenings to listen to a variety of inspirational speakers who traveled to UCSB from across the globe. This class, like all of the work of DWW-SBSM, is a collaborative and volunteer effort. None of the speakers accept honorariums or any financial rewards to participate in teaching this class. They have all volunteered their time to come to UCSB at their own expense because they are passionate about caring for the underserved and about educating the next generation of humanitarian healers.
Students at UCSB love the Underserved Medicine Seminar and are inspired by it to do amazing volunteer work locally and beyond. Dialogue should never be confined within the walls of academia. To effectively serve the most vulnerable and marginalized requires dialectic and creative problem solving between academic scholars and the men and women in the field with proximity to the beneficiaries. Thus, we consistently welcome members of the medical and advocacy community in addition to UCSB faculty/staff to attend the class alongside the enrolled students to discuss the issues critically. We encourage members of the local humanitarian community to include students in their work and for students to engage members of the community in discussion.
Using service and problem-based learning methodologies, the seminar explores unique medical needs of vulnerable, underserved populations internationally and locally. Guest speakers discuss topics ranging from refugee health, homelessness, humanitarian aid in conflict zones, care of military veterans, global health development, care of migrant farm workers, and more.
Every year, Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine takes a poll on the first day of class and the last day of class to determine the number of students interested in pursuing a career within healthcare. Based on these results, it is evident the Underserved Medicine Seminar plays a profound role in shaping the aspirations of students and community members. Students often record the most growth occurs at Aladdin’s Cafe during the post lecture discussions, in which students and community members are able to personally interact with each of the presenters in a comfortable setting. If you were unable to attend the seminar this year, you can look forward to another amazing course Winter 2019!
Topics discussed at the 11th Annual Underserved Medicine Seminar:
Trauma in a Resource Limited Environment: Lessons from South Africa
Casey Barbaro MD, Trauma/Acute Care Surgeon Ventura County Medical Center
Humanitarian Response to Infectious Outbreak and War Overseas
Responding to Epidemics: Ebola Response in Sierra Leon
Matthew Waxman, MD, FACEP, DTM&H, ULCA/Olive View-UCLA Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, International Medical Corps, NYC Medics(https://internationalmedicalcorps.org) (https://nycmedics.org)
Preventive Care in the Park; Integrative Clinical and Mental Health Care
Charles Fenzi MD, CEO/CMO Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, (http://www.sbclinics.org)
HIV/AIDS: Impact on Vulnerable Populations at Home and Away
Lynn Fitzgibbons MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine USC Keck School of Medicine, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health (http://cosb.countyofsb.org/phd/)
Not Another American Hero: Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences, and a New Approach to Global Health
Zadok Sacks MD, Attending Hospitalist in Medicine and Pediatrics, Ventura County Medical Center; Clinical Instructor in Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA; Associate Physician, Department of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Founding Co-Director EqualHealth (http://www.equalhealth.org)
Community Outreach to Prevent Inner City Violence
Robert Gore MD, Emergency physician Kings County – SUNY Downstate Hospitals, Brooklyn NY, Executive director KAVI, Kings Against Violence Initiative (http://kavibrooklyn.org)
How We Die: As Told by the Poor in Rural Kentucky
Michael Brian Humble MD, Medical Director for Hospice of Southern Kentucky, Medical Director for HOTEL Inc, Street Medicine Outreach, (http://hotelincbg.com)
Understanding Hospice – Why the End of Life is Underserved
Arlene Stepputat MA, Manager of Volunteer Services Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care (www.vnhcsb.org)
Treating Childhood Malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Addressing Causes Beyond Food Insecurity
Melanie Capiccioni RN, CPN, MA, Field Nurse Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders, Travel Nurse Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org)
Yoga, a Path for healing and Recovery; bringing yoga to underserved populations via the Prison Yoga Project
Mike Lewis, Yoga instructor, Fitness instructor, USMC vet, Substance Abuse Counselor Community Solutions Inc (http://prisonyoga.org/)
Reflections from the Streets of Boston: Lessons Learned over the Past Three Decades
James O’Connell, MD, Founder Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Department of Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital (http://www.bhchp.org/), Assistant professor Harvard Medical School
Seeing Things from the Outside: The Origins of Street Medicine
James Withers, MD, Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Founder Operation Safety Net, Founder Street Medicine Institute, (http://www.streetmedicine.org)
The Power of Story
David “Hopper” Hopkins, Alcohol, Drug, and Rehab Counselor, formerly homeless, companion care coordinator DWW-SBSM (https://sbdww.org)
Cultural Competency in Mission Settings
Ben LaBrot, Founder and CEO Floating Doctors, (http://floatingdoctors.com)
Pediatrics in Santa Rosa before and after the 10/17 Wildfires
Brian Prystowsky MD, Pediatrician for Sutter Medical Group of Redwoods, Santa Rosa Family Residency Program, Assistant Professor UCSF Department of Family Medicine
Ethics in Global Health and Underserved Medicine – Case Study Discussion
Jason Prystowsky MD, MPH, Sarah Bridge, Medical Student University of Utah, UCSB alumnus
Taking Emergency Medicine from The Streets of NYC to the World
Sean Kivlehan MD, MPH, Fellowship director, International Emergency Medicine Fellowship, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Instructor, Harvard Medical School, Affiliate Faculty, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (http://hhi.harvard.edu).
Stranded at la Frontera: Migration, Deportation, and Poor Health Outcomes
Todd Schneberk MD, Mary Cheffers MD, UCSD Global Health Institute, LAC+USC Emergency Medicine Residency, UCLA RROV Emergency Medicine Residency, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, (http://www.lacuscem.com/elective-opportunities)
Restorative Police, Community Outreach, and the Role of Law Enforcement in Community Health
Keld Hove, Mureen Brown, Santa Barbara City Police Department, (https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/police/programs/restorative_policing.asp)
Radical Listening: A Doctor’s Journey to Save Rain Forest in Borneo
Kinari Webb MD, Founder Health in Harmony, Alam Sehat Lestari Co-Founder, Ashoka Social Entrepreneur Fellow, Rainer Arnhold Fellow (http://www.healthinharmony.org)
Disaster Logistics and Direct Relief
Andrew MacCalla and Daniel Hovey, International Programs & Emergency Preparedness and Response (http://www.directrelief.org/)
How I Became a Doctor, My Work in Indian Health
John Tveten, MD, Emergency Department Director, Little Colorado Medical Center, Winslow AZ; Indian Health Services, Hopi Reservation (https://www.ihs.gov)
Vegas Strong!!! Hospital and Community Response to Active Shooter and Mass Casualty Incident
Scott Scherr MD, Medical director Sunrise Hospital Emergency Department, Las Vegas (https://sunrisehospital.com)
The role of 911 in serving the underserved in our local community
Chris Mailes, Battalion Chief Santa Barbara City Fire Department (http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/fire/)
Ending Preventable Blindness: Cataract surgery, reinvented for the World’s Poor and Blind
Jeffrey Levenson, Chief Medical Officer SEE International , (https://www.seeintl.org)
Rebuilding Participation, Reinventing Power, and Redefining the Possible: How Participation Builds Peace, Improves Health, and Changes the Arc of the Possible. Lessons Learned in Eastern Congo.
Vijaya P Thakur, Founder and Executive Director, Resolve Network (http://www.resolvenetwork.org)
