GlobeMed at the University of Rochester is proud to announce that we are partnering with Foodlink, a community food resource center and a food bank associated with Feeding America. Foodlink serves Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties. Their mission is to leverage the power of food to transform lives, end hunger and build healthier communities. 

As part of GlobeMed's initiative to engage in not only our campus community but also the Rochester community, our members have been volunteering at the Foodlink headquarter. Most recently, we have been helping at the warehouse and distribution center. The volunteers packed nutritious lunches and snacks to support underprivileged children who don't have school lunches on the weekends. Learn more about the BackPack Program. Another task was to sort through donated foods to send out to mobile pantries that travel to underserved areas in the 10 counties that Foodlink covers. Learn about Mobile Pantry.
(If you are a glob, you can also sign up for a shift here! If you are not, then sign up here!) 

Facts: 
The overall food-insecurity rate for Foodlink’s 10-county region is 11.7 percent (147,420 people), and the child food insecurity rate in that same region is 18.3% (48,960 children).​

Usually, just a vague mention of taxes already makes most of us twist our noses in despair, but today's ghU showed us that the concept is much more important than it seems at a first glance.

How should the tax burden be distributed? Should citizens with higher incomes contribute more, or is an equal tax rate to all income levels the ideal policy? Should major corporations contribute more than small businesses? What about non-citizens? What is the role of social justice in this debate?

Discussion goes on as we think about the allocation of resources. How much of our taxpayer money should go to healthcare, or education? What about defense, or protection of the environment? How can our own opinions translate into our notions of the government's role in our lives?

Tell us what you think about it by leaving a comment below!

This was our last ghU discussion before summer, and we are excited about what the new academic year brings to GlobeMed. If you would like to learn more about topics like this, follow us on social media and go to our interest meetings in September!

sOur Community Building Committee has planned our first "GlobeMed Day of Service." This Saturday, each and and every GlobeMedder will volunteer in the Rochester community! We will be working on four different projects, which are described below: 

1. Urban Choice Charter School
Through this opportunity, we will get a chance to teach the kids about a variety of different subjects!

2. "Food not Bombs" Food Kitchen 
This is an opportunity to help serve those who cannot afford food. We will help prepare food with other volunteers from the Rochester community and then serve the food! 

3. Quadpalooza 
This is an opportunity to volunteer right on campus! We will help the Quad area council set up and clean up their event.

4. Dr. Walter Cooper Academy 
This is another opportunity to work with kids. We will be working with them on middle school level schoolwork!

In light of Earth Week, we hope you consider donating to GlobeMed to help us promote health equity and social justice in India! 

Our GlobeMed chapter is partnered with the Indian grassroots organization SOVA (Social Organization for Voluntary Action), located in rural Odisha. 

We support and fund SOVA's Healthcare Duty Assistant Training program, which aims to educate local youth through hands-on career training. This program takes place at the Srimula Public Health Center where 30 young trainees are given medical instruction over a 3-month period. As the assistants begin their work in the rural regions of Dhenkanal and Angul, the outcome of stable employment opportunities and increased quality health service for the region creates long-term benefits reaching far beyond the training process.

During the 2017-2018 academic year, GlobeMed at the University of Rochester aims to fundraise $9,000 for the continuation of the Medical Assistant Training Program. The funds raised will pay for the training instructors, class supplies for the assistants, and other incidentals for the training of health care workers. ​

Today we had an amazing ghU discussion on immigration, and all of the problems that surround it in the United States and the world.

What drives migrants to leave their home countries and face the risks of the unknown? Should the United States reform its immigration policies? How can we optimize the immigration process into the United States? 

When discussing topics like this, we need to be able to look at all sides of the problem -- the government, the economy, and the lives involved in the  immigration process.

Does this discussion sound interesting to you? Leave a comment below!

Also, come to our next chapter meeting on Saturday at 11 am in Genesee 325 for the opportunity to discuss similar topics with us! 

We are so proud to announce our incoming Co-Presidents for 2018-2019, Antoinette Nguyen and Payal Morari! We are looking forward to a new, exciting year in GlobeMed. And thanks to our former Co-President Vivek Viswanath. We wish you the best fortune in your future paths!

In our last meeting, we had an intriguing ghU about media sensationalism! In the modern era of immediate news, facts distortions and single stories have contributed to a culture of misinformation. Keeping that on mind, we discussed the applications of media sensationalism on gentrification, confederate monuments in the US, drone attacks on ISIS, and Greek Life. 

Would you like to participate in these discussions? Come to our next meeting on Saturday! Our meetings are always open. 

The World Day of Social Justice discussion event hosted by GlobeMed at UR served as a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy, unity, and collaboration in promoting social justice.

Our chapter partnered with several University of Rochester student groups to put on this event. The Student Association of Vegan and Vegetarian Youth (SAVVY), College Feminists, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Minority Students Advisory Board (MSAB) each worked with one of our ghU coordinators, Bianca Hall, to hone in on one angle of this year’s theme for World Day of Social Justice, which was “Workers on the Move: the Quest for Social Justice.” What resulted was a multidimensional discussion that peeled back the complex layers of issues marring migrant workers in the United States and abroad today. 

MSAB discussed why migrants seek labor in the United States, specifically speaking about the American Dream. College Feminists brought in guests who work to combat the crippling cycle of abuse that female migrant workers and farmers face in Monroe County, where Rochester is located. Meanwhile, SDS discussed the disturbing use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees as reduced or free labor. SAVVY highlighted the effects of migrant labor on food costs—although food costs are low, migrant laborers are unjustly paid for the amount of work that goes into producing those low-costing foods. Finally, GlobeMed moderated the small-group discussions that was designed to reflect on and consider all four viewpoints in a larger context.

In my small group, members of every organization reflected on how large a scale this problem has become in the United States and how the solution is not so simple. Just as one member pointed out the importance of legal rights and protection for migrant workers, another questioned how to protect migrant workers when they themselves ignore the lack of respect and rights they face in the workplace just to salvage any money they receive. However, as my group discussed these issues in the context of Rochester, New York, and somewhat the country at large, I questioned how countries could work together at an international level to solve the migrant worker problem. Workers often migrate to find better job or salary opportunities than ones granted by their home country and countries rarely protect migrants until they become citizens; thus, the simplified view would suggest countries should take better efforts to protect incoming migrants or de-incentivizing citizens from migrating altogether. As this discussion event proved though, the answer is not so easy, but with a multifaceted attack, the solution is far more attainable than with any singular effort.

Through numerous perspectives, whether formally from the four co-sponsoring organizations or informally from the many audience members in attendance, the underlying reasons behind migrant worker issues were slowly uncovered and solutions were proffered in response throughout this event. Despite the lack of solutions resulting from discussion, the event was a huge success in promoting awareness in the campus community about a prevalent social justice problem plaguing our world today. ​

​- Mahir Khan

Do you want to learn more about GlobeMed? Check out our new video!

Communications Committee members Khai Du, Larissa Daruge, and Selin Toprakkiran developed this amazing promotional video. Do you want to learn more? Come to our open meetings on Saturdays at 11 am. 

GlobeMed's 7th Annual Benefit Dinner at the University of Rochester was a huge success! We're grateful for everyone who came support us. All the proceeds from the event will go to our partner organization SOVA (Social Organization for Voluntary Action). Through our Annual Benefit Dinner, we are able to raise funds to provide medical education to young women in Odisha, India. 

We would like to recognize the Projects Committee and Directors Mahir Khan, Priyanka Srivastava, and Ashima Sharma for this accomplishment! We would also like to express our  gratitude for our Co-Presidents Vivek Viswanath and Payal Morari and for all GlobeMed members. Without your hard work and dedication, this event would not be possible.   

A special thank to our guest speaker, Jocie Kopfman, and to our performers in PASApella, Ma'frisah, the Bharata School of Indian Dance and Music. 

We just drew on the chalkboard in Wilson Commons to spread the word about GlobeMed's 7th Benefit Dinner this Friday (02/23). Buy your ticket today at the Common Market!

Event Information:
Friday, Feb. 23rd
6:15-9:30 pm
Douglass Ballroom at the University of Rochester

Ticket Information:
UR Students: $8 at the Common Market, $10 at the door
General Admission: $20

Commemorate the World Day of Social Justice though inspiring discussions on various social justice issues!

GlobeMed has partnered with SAVVY, SDS, MSAB, and College Feminists to organize this event. This year, the theme is "Workers on the Move: the Quest for Social Justice." During the first section of the event, each of these organizations will make presentations on different social justice issues. Afterwards, we'll facilitate group discussions on each topic! 

The focus of this event will be Respect. Respect for the basic dignity of self and others is essential to this community. Every person has the right to be treated with respect, regardless of the many differences that distinguish individuals and groups.

Participating Organizations:
SAVVY (Students Association of Vegan and Vegetarian Youths)
SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
MSAB (Minority Student Advisory Board)
College Feminists

Event Information
Location: Havens Lounge
Time: 7-9 pm

This event is completely free!

In our last ghU discussion, we had an exciting guest speaker (and a former GlobeMedder!) come in from a local children's advocacy center! Lisle Coleman discussed hardships that children face in the Rochester community. 

We discussed laws and different perspectives when it comes to children consenting to their healthcare. We also highlighted the debate about who should be involved in decisions when it comes to minors and the concerns that come up when parents or children have control. 

Sounds interesting? Come to our next ghU discussion next Saturday at 11 am! Our meetings are always open.