Published December 3, 2007, last updated on March 12, 2013
Students at Duke were making their interest in global health well known this past week. On Nov. 30, the Duke Global Health Student Action Committee (GHSAC), an official Duke student body organization affiliated with the Duke Global Health Institute, arranged the opportunity for more than a dozen students to have lunch with the influential Namibian AIDS activist Anita Isaacs. On Dec. 2, the group hosted a global health forum to which more than 50 students came to learn about opportunities in global health for students.
The weekend showed that there is plenty of interest in global health among students at Duke. At the luncheon with Isaacs, students listened to her tell of the stigma she faced when she was diagnosed with AIDS, from family members as well as others. They heard her talk about her decision to speak out against the stigma, and start a group called Learn to Survive, an organization that helps people live positively with their HIV status. Isaacs now serves as a regional coordinator for the YWCA of Namibia, Oshakati Branch, Project on Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS.
Isaacs stressed how important it is to break silence against AIDS. “There are people who still do not want to talk about it,” she says. “I had one woman come to me and say ‘but what about confidentiality’ and I said ‘Sister, forget confidentiality. This is about saving your life.’ We have a culture where people do not speak about sex, but we must talk openly with each other and especially with our children about sex or AIDS will continue.”
At the Dec. 2 Global Health Forum, students heard from representatives from 17 different student groups (undergraduate, graduate and professional) and created a wish-list of items to help groups work together, from unified publicity to funding for activities.
“We really want to help organize and connect students who are striving to enhance the global health culture at Duke,” says Aalok Modi, a junior who serves as one of the co-leaders of the group. “We are hoping that by holding monthly meetings, we can support collaboration and spark activism.”
The GHSAC is planning a Global Health Week for next semester and welcomes collaboration. They have launched a new website, www.dukeglobalhealthforum.com, to help connect students and student groups on campus working on global health issues.
