On Saturday, January 24, 2009, we had an amazing and powerful all-day gathering at Amherst College (Amherst, Massachusetts, USA) of 50 people that included Amherst College (and several University of Massachusetts) students, faculty and staff, alums, and community partners. Using the model of Future Search (www.futuresearch.org), we had an inspired dynamic action-oriented conversation and dialogue about public health that resulted in the formation of a new public health collaborative at Amherst that, while having its own unique identity, will at the same time join with a currently existing undergraduate group at the University of Massachusetts. The purpose of the collaborative is to establish a long-term presence of public health on the Amherst campus. It will have community engagement and partnerships (existing and new) at its core, promote opportunities in a variety of settings for students to learn about and practice public health and the reduction of health disparities (including those opportunities that already exist compiled in a data base), serve as a catalyst for student activism and leadership for campus-based and community wide public health issues, and provide multiple opportunities for in-depth mentoring for those who want to pursue public health after college. The underlying philosophy is that public health is, in an inter-disciplinary way, a legitimate academic subject for study at the undergraduate level, and that public health is a noble and highly diverse profession that is rooted in the pursuit of social justice, equity, peace, cultural respect, and healing as the foundation for creating conditions for people and communities and society to have the full equal opportunity to thrive in mind, body, and spirit. I am so excited about this!
A planning group of six people that included three students – Jodie Simms ‘09, Annah Kuriakose ‘09, Lili Ferguson ‘10-, one faculty (Prof. Chris Dole), and a facilitator, Alice Leibowitz) did a stellar job in clarifying the purpose of the day, reaching out to multiple stakeholders, and applying the Future Search model. Thanks also go to Documenter Danielle Griffin ’09 and our sponsors: Center for Community Engagement, Career Center, Dean of the Faculty, Dean of Student Affairs, Class of 1969 Project, and Humane Worlds Center for Maternal and Child Health. By all accounts, the gathering was unique and innovative and refreshingly inter-generational, building on the resources and strengths that already exist on the Amherst and University of Massachusetts campuses (we had hoped to involve all Five College in the area, but that will happen later). For many students, it gave them a much stronger sense of what public health is all about and a commitment to become involved in the new collaborative. For alums, it provided a new vehicle for them to become engaged in campus life and inspire students to believe more fully in their idealism and passion for public service. For community partners, it demonstrated that we were serious in involving them from the start as truly equal partners whose participation in a mutually beneficial way is absolutely essential to the success of this effort. More information about the event itself will be forthcoming.
Dick Aronson '69
Expertise and experience:
1. Advising and mentoring Amherst College students and young alumni who seek to explore and pursue careers in health.
2. Teaching (until December 2010 at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and as adjunct lecturer at UMassAmherst School of Public Health), mentoring, advising, dialogue, organizing, advocating, and experience to learn, practice, and pursue health in all its dimesnions. Has included courses on health disparities, and cultural and linguistic competence, internships, independent study, research, seminars to build leadership capacity of young people and future public health work force.
3. Synthesizing research on social determinants of health, resilience, traumatic childhood experiences, racism, chronic stress, and conditions for productive dialogue that will have a significant impact on future public health practice.
3. Translating this research into humane MCH and public health practice to improve the health of women and children, with systems that honor families, communities, and cultures.
4. Integrating cultural understanding and respect as a key strategy to end health disparities.
5. Changing the language of public health and medicine to better reflect our ideals and purpose.
6. Bringing multiple stakeholders together to untangle complex public health challenges and take collaborative action to solve them.
Service
1. Inspiring a new generation of leaders in public health and service through a wide range of local, national, and global opportunities.
2. Until January 2011, consultation to individuals, communities, organizations to build capacity in the above, by
a) Inspiring keynotes, presentations, workshops.
b) Organizing forums to build essential but previously unlikely partnerships.
c) Serving as catalyst for intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogue.
c) Writing papers and grants.
3. Organization and facilitation of interactive meetings with broad stakeholder participation to unite diverse parties and spark action to create public health equity.
For more information, contact:
raaronson69@amherst.edu
"A smile is the light in the window of your face, which tells people that your heart is at home."
- Kolawole Bankole, M.D, M.S
1. Advising and mentoring Amherst College students and young alumni who seek to explore and pursue careers in health.
2. Teaching (until December 2010 at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and as adjunct lecturer at UMassAmherst School of Public Health), mentoring, advising, dialogue, organizing, advocating, and experience to learn, practice, and pursue health in all its dimesnions. Has included courses on health disparities, and cultural and linguistic competence, internships, independent study, research, seminars to build leadership capacity of young people and future public health work force.
3. Synthesizing research on social determinants of health, resilience, traumatic childhood experiences, racism, chronic stress, and conditions for productive dialogue that will have a significant impact on future public health practice.
3. Translating this research into humane MCH and public health practice to improve the health of women and children, with systems that honor families, communities, and cultures.
4. Integrating cultural understanding and respect as a key strategy to end health disparities.
5. Changing the language of public health and medicine to better reflect our ideals and purpose.
6. Bringing multiple stakeholders together to untangle complex public health challenges and take collaborative action to solve them.
Service
1. Inspiring a new generation of leaders in public health and service through a wide range of local, national, and global opportunities.
2. Until January 2011, consultation to individuals, communities, organizations to build capacity in the above, by
a) Inspiring keynotes, presentations, workshops.
b) Organizing forums to build essential but previously unlikely partnerships.
c) Serving as catalyst for intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogue.
c) Writing papers and grants.
3. Organization and facilitation of interactive meetings with broad stakeholder participation to unite diverse parties and spark action to create public health equity.
For more information, contact:
raaronson69@amherst.edu
"A smile is the light in the window of your face, which tells people that your heart is at home."
- Kolawole Bankole, M.D, M.S
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