MAILMAN SCHOOL - AT THE FRONTLINE

In December 2005, several students from the Program on Forced Migration and Health transformed the Hess Student Commons into a stunning photo gallery, presenting beautiful and moving images taken in various countries and settings around the globe that were taken while the students completed their international field practica.

		Each year, students in the Program must participate in an international field practicum with an international agency or non-governmental organization, either at headquarters-level or in the field. Lindsay Stark, a graduate research assistant who worked in Africa through the Christian Children's Fund, photographed women in five provinces of Sierra Leone as she conducted research on traditional purification rituals. Specifically, Lindsay studied how purification rituals contribute to psychosocial healing and reintegration for female former child soldiers who were raped during the country's 11-year conflict.
Young girl being cleansed with a combination of water, ash, herbs, and traditional soap.

According to Lindsay, the photo project came about rather spontaneously when fellow student Sara Saad El-Dein, who had planned to compile photos she had taken in the Sudan, realized several students had taken photos to document their experiences. She approached others to put together the exhibit and, said Lindsay, "with support from program director Neil Boothby, we were able to share our work with the entire School."

		Bree Akesson, a dual degree MSSW/MPH student, landed a position with The International Rescue Committee (IRC), living and working in Ingushetia in the Northern Caucasus. She also traveled to Chechnya, depending on the day-to-day security situation. In both areas, she conducted an evaluation of the assessment tool IRC uses to determine the effectiveness of a psychosocial program based in the region.
A young boy in the Tanzila settlement in Nazran, Ingushetia.

"We were never instructed to take pictures during our practica experiences," said Bree. "I felt that my work presented me with the rare opportunity to not only photograph and share my experiences with the people welcoming me into their communities, but also to document those communities' lives and share those visual images with my colleagues, families, and friends back home."

Bree took photos only when granted permission and often used the images as a means of communicating with her subjects. In fact, she usually provided a set of prints for the people she photographed.

Children playing following a psychosocial counseling session in Teremok settlement in Slepsovskaya, Ingushetia on the Chechen border.

"Each year, students travel to troubled parts of the world, roll up their sleeves, and help operational agencies save lives and alleviate human suffering," said Neil Boothby, EdD, professor of clinical Global Health in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health and director of the Program on Forced Migration and Health. "They return wanting to share their vivid memories and illuminating photographs-this is how the exhibit started, and why we plan to make it an annual event."

The exhibit consisted of 27 photographs taken by the following students: Bree Akesson, Lindsay Stark, Nate Miller, Robin Altaras, Michelle Trombley, Senait Assefa, Rachel Goldstein, Andy Kent, Daniel Gerstle, Stephanie Lazar, Sara Saad El-Dein, and Aubrey Yost Cody.

Although the photos are no longer on exhibit, readers can learn more about this project and the Program on Forced Migration and Health by contacting Senait Assefa at sna2003@columbia.edu.

Mailman School students Yessica M. Diaz, MPH, MSW, and Caricia Catalani are two of the ten Hispanic students chosen from across the country to receive a $1,500 scholarship from the National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF). According to Dr. Elena Rios, President and CEO of NHHF, "This is the first time we've established a national scholarship to help Hispanic students in health professional schools reach their dreams."

The awards were given to outstanding students who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and a commitment to the Hispanic community, the nation's largest minority group. The scholarships target Hispanic students who have a commitment to careers in health care, including medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, health management and policy analysis, health research, and allied health.

"I am very honored to be a recipient of this prestigious award," said Diaz, 31, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. "It's wonderful to represent future health professionals in the field while pursuing my research and work with the elderly Latino population in New York City."

Caricia Catalani, a student in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, said, "The NHHF scholarship has helped make my dream of earning a Masters in Public Health a reality. Just as important, this program sends a message to my community that there are health professionals currently in the field who are committed to the advancement of young Hispanic leaders."

"There is a dearth of Hispanic health professionals in the United States. Only four percent of all physicians, three percent of dentists and two percent of nurses are Hispanic," Dr. Rios said. "That is insufficient to meet the demands of a growing Hispanic population. NHHF hopes these scholarships will help increase those numbers and develop the future leaders in health care."

NHHF is the 501(c)3 arm of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), a nonprofit organization that represents Hispanic physicians in the U.S. NHHF is affiliated with the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, which is a center of academic excellence for public service, including health policy and management, leadership and health services research.

For more information on the National Hispanic Health Foundation, please visit their website at: www.nhmamd.org